Typical Hormone Fever
by ClockworkScales
Summary: When Marty hallucinates from accidental LSD use in 1967, one wrong move changes the Doc's future so that it even affects his own in the worst possible way. Can things still end happily? Have their fates changed for good? Slight Doc/Marty slash.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own any of the characters, and the plot part of this story surrounds is the original Part Two script before it was edited: when Marty and the Doc go to 1967. If you want more background on the events in the story, visit this website: http(double dot double slash)www(dot)bttf(dot)com(/)scripts(/)Number_Two(dot)pdf. **

**Another thing I wanted to mention is the effects the drug has on Marty, it's more like ecstasy, but for the sake of the story, I've made it as LSD, and the effects of the visions make him react that way. Marty and Doc's slash relationship in this story is a way I figured that might be the most realistic considering the characters and the circumstances, and it's not really a proper relationship... You'll have to read to figure out what I mean. Thank you for reading. Let's begin.**

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**PART ONE**

Marty McFly definitely knew that he was alive and that he existence in time and space - even if it was in 1955.

As far as reflections went, Marty thought, he might as well start somewhere and 1955 seemed a pretty safe bet.

After ripping out a page from the phone book, he discovered Doctor Emmett Brown's old house in 1955, the Brown manor, and although it took some convincing, the Doc of '55 soon realized that Marty was not playing a prank after explaining the reason behind the ugly purple bruise on his forehead.

Upon playing back his video from 1985 of the Doc's Time Machine experiment in the Doc's luxurious and well-kept living room, he rewound the tape and when the white-haired scientist spoke on screen, the Doc of 1955 yelled and shouted in amazement.

'_1.21 jigowatts!_'

Marty hadn't had much time to think about the differences between the Doc of 1955 and of 1985, but as he caught up with the Doc who was now sitting in a comfortable chair looking so wearisome and silence fell between them, Marty McFly wondered about his mentor's life in 1955.

He couldn't help it. He always knew the Doc's life was lonely (except for Einstein, of course) but he never realized it extended so far back – thirty years back!

'I'm sorry, Marty! But I'm afraid you're stuck here!'

Marty was pulled back down from la-la land with an unpleasant crunch.

'Whoa, whoa, Doc! Stop right there. I can't be stuck here! I have a life back in 1985! I've got a girl!'

Jennifer, Marty's girlfriend for the past year, would be horrified if he disappeared one night, last seen being chased by terrorists, terrorists which shot –

'Is she pretty?'

Marty's face screwed up in agony at the thought that he may never see Jennifer again, but then he thought of the Doc, and if he got back, he would never see the Doc again. He stared into those big, brown eyes; filled with a hidden compassion, reserved for the Marty he would meet later in the future; one who wasn't so enigmatic.

'Oh, Doc, she's beautiful,' Marty breathed and he searched in his pockets for the flier Jennifer had written her number on. He unfolded it and held it towards the Doc who looked less than interested. 'She's crazy about me.'

Marty pulled the paper away, feeling disappointed. He wouldn't really be stuck in 1955 would he?

'I'm sorry, Marty, but the only way to generate 1.21 jigowatts is through a bolt of lightning!'

Hold up, Doc! Marty thought hurriedly and he held up the paper.

'What?'

'A bolt of lightning! Unfortunately you never know when or where it's gonna strike!'

Marty's heart filled with triumph and hope as he shoved the piece of paper into the Doc's face, the letters "Save The Clock Tower" written in a large, black font. He waited impatiently as the Doc read the paper, and when his eyes widened and he sat up in his seat, Marty knew he was saved.

'This is it!'

The plan had been arranged quite efficiently, and the plan was ready to roll on the night of November 12. Marty felt a terrible sadness for the Doc as he stood in the roaring wind, under the crisp night sky, and they said goodbye.

'You know, kid, I... well, I'm gonna be sad to see you go. You've really made a difference in my life – you've given me something to shoot for. Just knowing that I'm gonna live to see 1985... that I'll succeed in this... that I'll get a chance to travel through time... well, it's just gonna be hard for me to wait 30 years before we can talk about everything that's happened in the past few days. I'm gonna really miss you.'

This time when Marty looked into the Doc's brown eyes, they were filled with the heart-warming glow he had learnt to know all too well in 1985. He was incredibly sad that this would be the last time he was ever going to see it. He wished he could spend more time with him, get to know him more – all of a sudden thousands of questions popped into his head, but he knew couldn't ask any of them.

So Marty wrote a letter to the Doc, explaining the night of the terrorist attack and his wishes for the Doc to protect himself. But when the Doc pulled the letter out of his coat after the dance, as Marty had feared, he wouldn't accept it and tore it to shreds.

'Nooo!' Torn in two, torn in eight, tiny little pieces. 'I refuse to accept the responsibility!'

Marty felt at that moment he would rather have the Doc live over Jennifer and as that thought struck him, he told himself he was grieving over the Doc's death, that'd he'd do anything for it to change, another told him that it was because he had known the Doc for so much longer than Jennifer and friends stayed together a lot longer than relationships, but all his thoughts became a jumble and confusing mess – he had to get back to 1985!

When he returned to 1985, after a great sigh of relief that the DeLorean had done its job, as he hopped back in, he was severely disappointed. The engine stalled. But as he saw the Libyans' blue van, he figured screw the DeLorean and sprinted all the way to Twin Pines Mall (now Lone Pine Mall).

Marty felt an excruciating pain in his chest as he watched Doc Brown's form fall to the ground and his 1985 counter-part scream and drive away in the DeLorean. Once the Time Machine disappeared in a great flash of bright electric blue light, he deemed it safe and rolled down the hill, proceeding to run towards the fallen scientist, who lay face down against the wet ash felt.

Einstein sat nearby as Marty turned Doc Brown over, tears in his eyes, his throat filling with grief.

'Doc, no...'

And then the Doc sat up, and Marty turned and stared and gaped in amazement and confusion.

'You're alive...'

The Doc looked bewildered for a moment and he pulled open his white radiation suit revealing a –

'A bullet-proof vest?' Marty said in low voice. 'But how? I never got a chance to tell you...'

The Doc pulled a piece of shiny paper out of his coat. It was Marty's letter from 1955! It had been taped together and underneath Marty's sudden joy that his best friend was alive, he couldn't help but question the Doc's motives.

'What about all that stuff you told me about messing up the future, the space-time continuum?'

The Doc shrugged and gave him a reserved grin.

'Well, I figured, what the hell.'

Marty wanted to throw his arms around the Doc and with his eyes stained with tears and his voice nearly shattering, he had no hope of expressing his gratitude, so he settled with a small smile.

Meanwhile, back in 1967, Marty wondered if the Doc would ever talk to him again...


	2. Chapter 2

Doctor Emmett Brown stared into Marty McFly's piercing blue eyes and couldn't help grinning, an unexpressed gratitude bursting in his chest. All those years – thirty, to be precise – gone! Now he could talk to Marty about his trip to 1955!

He remembered that fateful night when he said goodbye to Marty, and he remembered getting choked up, remembered his lip twitching – he had found a friend, albeit a future friend, in 1955!

It had been many years since Emmett had met with Marty again, and then he was just a small child who was curious with the man, curious of his reputation, motives and scientific experiments. But even though Marty's presence had touched him so, back in '55 he hadn't let it show and had turned around and walked the other way to hide it. But, he wouldn't do that now. Times changed. He would know.

Especially since what happened in '67 – as unexpected as Marty's actions had been, his self in 1967 should have been more careful! Emmett thought exasperated. Time travel, especially the Ripple Effect, could give one some massive headaches, and unfortunately he had no Tylenol on him.

Alas, then came their next Time Travel adventure.

Marty and Jennifer had come face to face with their future lives in 2015, and Marty had been so foolish as to buying a Sports Almanac containing sporting statistics until the end of the Twentieth Century, to take home with him. Outside the Doc's lab one night, Marty pulled the bag out from his future-esque jacket . Of course, Emmett didn't understand what it was at first, but once he pulled it out of the bag; he was furious - but more so incredibly disappointed.

'Marty,' Emmett explained firmly, trying to get the important message into Marty's thick skull. 'I didn't invent time travel for financial gain. This is a scientific endeavour for us to use, not to abuse.' Marty had to know this, especially since his future self's life had gone spiralling down the tube in 2015. Maybe if he knocked some sense into him early, it would all work out. 'The intent here is to gain a clearer perception of ourselves, of humanity in general: where we've been, where we're going, the pitfalls and the possibilities, the perils and the promise... perhaps even an answer to that universal question: Why?'

Or so, Emmett Brown hoped. Unfortunately, Marty didn't seem to get the message, even after that inspiring monologue.

'Oh, hey, I'm all for that, Doc, but what's wrong with making a few bucks on the side?'

Emmett hoped that the future world would blast the fragments of Marty's foolishness out of his brain – part of his parental nature towards him hoped nobody else was present to hear Marty McFly's idiocy.

'Because it's cheating,' Emmett told Marty. 'And it could create a time paradox.' He added, hoping that maybe this would convince the boy. Any disruption to the space-time continuum especially the paradoxical type always had severe consequences. Any change to the space-time continuum, as small as a single thought of a few seconds delay in a meeting, could have dire consequences. Unfortunately, that's what happened with Time Travel, but it was paramount that any disasters be avoided. If only Marty could fully understand that.

As all Time Traveling adventures seemed to go, there was always a problem which grew. This case, it was the loss of the Almanac, and upon returning to 1985, they found that everything had changed.

Hill Valley, "A nice place to live" was no longer that. It was a wreck. Wild dogs scavenged in rubbish bins and search lights illuminated dark footpaths which had been blown to pieces. When Emmett dropped Marty off, he wasn't aware of the danger of this new world, in fact, being night time, he wasn't aware there had been any change... until he arrived at his house.

'Great Scott!' Emmett exclaimed as he slammed the DeLorean's gull-wing door shut.

His house was boarded up and looked deserted, not to mention completely trashed. Emmett forced open the front door. He entered carefully, so not to disturb his other self if they still resided there. But the lack of his alternate self was not comforting in the least.

His house was always messy, but he was able to find everything. Now, things had been knocked over and smashed, and he noticed a few bullet holes in the front door. There was no other thing to do. He needed to check out the library records to find out what had become of 1985, or, more precisely, how it had come about.

When he came back from the library, keeping an eye out for Marty as he ran home, he drove his scientist van out of the garage and out to the front. He figured it was a lot warmer, safer and had utilities which worked. As he let Einstein out of the DeLorean, he barked and ran towards a figure in the middle of the street – Marty!

Emmett ran towards the boy.

'Marty! Thank God! I've been looking all over for you,' Emmett gasped, placing his hands on Marty's shoulders and staring into his blue eyes which were filled with pain. Emmett knew the same thing was reflected in his own eyes, as he had discovered the fate of 1985 – of Marty's father, George McFly, and even himself – his other self locked away in an asylum. 'We're in some serious shit.'

'So I've noticed,' Marty admitted sadly.

'I can't understand it. I've been to the Library, pouring over newspapers, magazines, trying to figure out what happened. The time line has been upset, but I don't know what caused it.'

At the time, he didn't realize it until Marty pointed it out. The Future Biff had taken the Almanac and given it to his past self – and so an alternate reality had been created. Emmett couldn't help wondering if he and Marty would continue to get lost in time like this... what if it came to a point where they were stuck forever? It was a terrible, frightening thought, but it was a possibility, and all possibilities should be considered.

As Marty explained to him how Biff had taken the Almanac back to his past self in 1967, Emmett listened attentively, keeping an ear open for any sort of clue that could point them in the right direction. To figure it out, they decided to give old '85 Biff a ring. Emmett took this liberty, explaining that Biff would recognize Marty's voice if he called - besides, Emmett felt responsible for Marty – taking part of the blame. They wouldn't be able to fix 1985 without each other.

In Emmett's old laboratory, Emmett picked up the receiver and punched in the number Marty showed him from the phone book. Marty looked through newspapers whilst Emmett spoke on the phone. When the beeping stopped and he could hear a crackled breathing, he knew it was now or never.

'Biff Tannen, please,' he took a breath. He managed to get the correct information out of Biff and then, the time had come for them to change the future once again. Marty was ready to jump into action and Emmett had to hand it to him: he was enthusiastic. Enthusiasm was vital in moments of psychological strife.

'All right, Doc, let's get going!'

'Not so fast, Marty. You can't go to the sixties looking like that.'

Emmett had left the lab and bought some clothes for Marty at Jack's Pawnshop, glad he could go out and not be recognized... as his counter-self had been denounced clinically insane, he had no fear of running into him. As Emmett looked through the shop, smiling idly at the shop keeper, he pictured Marty in each article of clothing, chuckling under his breath as he pictured his reaction, which was usually mad or embarrassed - or both. Oh well, Emmett sighed, it's the sixties.

When Emmett brought back the clothes and instructed Marty to put them on, Marty came out in front of a full length mirror Emmett had found underneath a heap of rubble. He wore striped bell bottom pants, a tie-dyed t-shirt and a vest adorned with American flags. His hair was parted in the middle and he wore a headband, John Lennon style wire rim glasses and a knapsack.

Emmett beamed at the sight of him – sure, it looked ridiculous in 1985, but in 1967 he would fit right in. In the sixties his attire was perfectly normal, and perfectly attractive.

'Well, do I look "fab?"' Marty asked, staring at himself in the mirror.

'"Groovy," Marty, not "fab." You look "groovy." And for the finishing touch...'

Emmett pulled out a string of love beads from the bag and put it around Marty's neck, grinning toothily at the boy. He did indeed look "groovy", well, he would; groovy was not a word of the sixties.

'No way, Doc, I'm not wearing love beads, no matter how "groovy" it is,' Marty protested and pulled the love beads off, holding them out to Emmett to take.

'Wrong, Marty,' Emmett instructed. Marty had to know how to fit into '67, no matter how ridiculous he sounded, 'you say, "Sorry, man, like, the beads trip isn't my thing."'

Emmett was secretly glad he was as mature as he was because it meant he didn't have to wear the same ridiculous clothes he wore in '67 all over again. He was old enough that it could pass – even though he did get the rejuvenation done in 2015.

Emmett explained this to Marty when he asked and even felt his inner-self gleaming as Marty asked what he was doing in '67.

'Science professor, Hill Valley University,' Emmett said boldly and he rummaged in the bag and pulled out a different necklace, putting the love beads back inside. If he wasn't going to wear the love beads, he had to wear a peace sign. Marty put it on.

'Fine, I can deal with this.'

'No, it's "Far out, I can groove on this."' Emmett said again, praying that Marty would remember to speak correctly in '67 – they wanted to be inconspicuous.

Once in 1967, events went as... well no smoother than in '55, Emmett thought. It really started to get weird when Marty bumped into Emmett from 1967.

So, most of the day, Marty spent time in 1967 with Doc.

Emmett kept a close eye on Marty in 1967 anyway; the sixties was a weird time, even for him.

This is where it all began, Emmett reflected with a distinct sigh, remembering the strange events that had caught up with him through the Ripple Effect. After all, something was bound to happen sooner or later, Emmett didn't blame him.

It just complicated things, that's all.


	3. Chapter 3

Marty had appointed the Doc of '67 the task of fixing the DeLorean so they could return to 1985. Since the Mr Fusion had been shot by Mr Peabody, they couldn't achieve the 1.21 jigowatts they needed to get home. When the Doc from '67 explained his plan, Marty muttered about its insanity whilst the Doc from '85, its brilliance. The force of a bomb exploding at the correct time, place taking into consideration acceleration speed and weight of the vehicle, Marty should be able to get back to 1985 with no problems. One tiny mistake would throw the whole thing off, though.

'I just want to know one thing,' Marty told the Doc from '67. 'Exactly how did you conceive of this... plan?'

'I took some LSD and it just came to me,' the '67 Doc explained.  
Marty's mouth hung open and he turned towards the Doc from '85 through the window who just shrugged.

Even the Doc took LSD? He never tagged the Doc as an ex-hippie. Though, thinking about it, figured it made perfect sense.

Of course, Marty thought, ignoring the whole ideal of getting five-hundred dollars for his mum to afford a second-honey moon with his dad so they would concept him, and the rally he had been forced to speak at by the hippies, fitting a DeLorean trip back to the eighties couldn't be so bad... they'd juggled things like this before... right?

The day passed and although Marty didn't see anything of the Doc from '85, he knew he was close-by. He spent time in the Doc of '67's garage and didn't realize the Doc had some Bunsen burners wafting acid through the garage whilst he worked until it was too late.

Peculiar visions and pictures flashed behind Marty's eyes and as he came to and the visions fluttered to dull picture, he saw the Doc of '67 leaning over the DeLorean and his body went absolutely insane with something completely unexpected: lust.

Holy crap! Marty thought and he stifled a gasp in his throat and panted, breathing in the fumes which bubbled out of the Bunsen burners. Oh my god, Doc. This is a joke right?

He tried to steady his breathing and hold himself upright. He felt light and stuffy headed and his arms and legs were shaking, his temperature rising, heat creeping into his neck and face. His body was reacting badly – reacting... normally? How did one's body react to acid? Or was it LSD? All Marty knew, was that the visions he saw included the Doc. Him and the Doc, and they weren't your average family-friendly visions either. It was the sort of thing he'd normally be seeing himself doing to Jennifer.

A few more pictures flashed across his eyelids and Marty's black, round silver-rimmed glasses nearly fell of his face and the band in his hair was now damp. He saw the Doc of '67 leaning over the DeLorean and – he didn't completely understand why – but he felt like he wanted to touch him... He saw him leaning over the DeLorean, his clothes pulling at his sides and waist, his crazy hair as wild as ever and his eyes hard and concentrating – on fixing the DeLorean's _spark plugs?_

The Doc's hands shuddered, Marty noticed, as he held the metal pegs open and eased them over the metal in the hood of the DeLorean. Doc breathed a sigh of relief – glad not to have recieved an electric shock, somewhat weary of shocks since the storm of '55. Marty struggled to control his breathing and heartbeat as he watched the Doc pull a grease stained towel off the hood of the DeLorean before easing it shut, grinning broadly. Marty couldn't help but think how attractive he looked and he shook his head, trying to jerk the weird sensations and thoughts away.

'Crap, Doc,' Marty muttered under his breath. 'Just say no... Just say no...'

Marty couldn't help but wonder if his sexual urges were simply misdirected from Jennifer. Drugs do that right? They mess you up? Marty was freaking out over what he saw and what he felt towards the scientist – but he couldn't deny that they were there and felt irrevocably real – drastically real. Oh my god, Doc... Marty thought.

Marty McFly's thoughts shudder to a halt as the Doc of 1967 yelled with triumph as he started the engine and the DeLorean rumbled and purred cheerfully.

'Fully functional,' the Doc nodded. He slammed the gull-wing door shut and stared at Marty with wide eyes.

Those beautiful wide - no, Marty! You love Jennifer, the Doc's just... The smoke - the fumes - they're making you insane, mad.

Marty coughed and his gaze faltered, his eyeballs jumping randomly around the garage, unable to focus properly on anything for a moment.

'Mary? What's wrong? You look flustered.'

'I am - uh - Doc,' Marty said and took a few steps backwards into a garage pillar. He lost his footing and tripped over his jeans, hitting the cold, hard ground before scrambling to his feet again. 'Just the - the DeLorean works... That's great... But the-' Marty coughs and his eyes jump about again – it was such a peculiar feeling. 'The fumes...'

'Fumes?' the Doc questioned and his eyes jumped to high-five his hair-line.

Marty's mouth quivered. He wiped his forehead and tried not to think about how piercing the Doc's eyes were, or how they made his insides explode with agonising pleasure.

Holy shit! Marty thought desperately, and he held a hand to his forehead, trying not to stagger backwards. Doc, you've really got to lay off the drugs!

'The fumes, Doc,' Marty choked out and the Doc's mouth formed an 'o' in understanding.

'My mistake, Marty! I didn't realize you weren't accustomed to such delicacies.'

Oh, Doc. Why him? Marty thought miserably. I'm not gay. I'm _Marty_! Marty McFly isn't nor _ever was_ gay! But, he supposed he'd have to question that now, huh.

Marty was overcome by delusions and visions and he forced his eyes wide open, trying to keep them focused on the Doc, trying to keep himself centred.

'The fumes,' the Doc muttered and he rushes forward and grabbed Marty's arms eagerly.

Marty felt a heat and sudden tightness in his jeans which he had felt all too many times over his adolescence. In this situation, however, it was not welcome in the slightest. He tried to focus on something completely innocent.

'What do you see, Marty? Do you have a vision?'

Marty choked and spluttered, his eyes filled with burning tears. He only wished the Doc would hold his shoulders tighter; pull him into an embrace, those strong – No! Marty! No!

Marty began to scold himself; even though part of him knew it was simply because of the LSD the Doc had simmering.

'N-n-not the kind of vision you're looking for,' Marty exclaimed, his eyes watering and stinging. 'Just, stop smoking up in here, Doc, it's making me light headed.'

The Doc stumbled back, his mouth wide open.

'You're crying,' he said hoarsely and Marty nodded, hastily wiping away the frustrated tears.

The scientist leapt and dodged around boxes and turned off the flames of the Bunsen burners. He pulled open windows and fanned the air madly. He returned to stand in front of Marty.

Marty buckled and stood hunched over, moaning. If the Doc knew what he was feeling right now, he would shoot him, or rather; Marty would order him to shoot him. Unfortunately, Marty thought, he was too embarrassed and ashamed to say anything.

'Marty,' the Doc said, his voice filled with worry. 'What's wrong?' He put his hand on Marty's shoulders again and Marty's voice was caught in his throat. 'You're sick! The fumes... I've made you sick, Marty! Perhaps LSD is not quite your type of thing.'

His fingers clawed into Marty's arm like an eagle's talons and he pulled him out of the garage and into the living room. Marty crawled up into a ball on the couch and started shivering. The Doc pulled a blanket over his shoulders and puts his hand to Marty's sweaty forehead.

'A fever...' he muttered and then left for the kitchen.

When he came back he gave Marty a glass of water, which was drunk quickly, then the Doc refilled it and placed it on the coffee table, his eyes filled with concern. The drink was cold and quickly calmed Marty's body down.

Marty was finally able to gain some sort of clarity of his surroundings and have some control over his bodily functions.

'Water will have to do until we can get you a real doctor – if LSD has got you running a fever, well, that's certainly not a good thing,' the Doc said.

'Why are you using LSD, Doc?' was Marty's question.

The Doc's eyes were wide with fear and awe.

'I had read its fumes had a calming effect and could help induce visions... I thought it would help with my experiments,' he looked contemplative and then he stood abruptly, 'but all it's done is made you sick! Perhaps it's not so good after all... I should have known they'd be side-effects. Great Scott! And here I was thinking a kid your age would be immune to it...'

Marty finish the last of the cool water and forced himself up despite the Doc's hand movements insisting rest. Marty propped the glass on the coffee table and sighed, breathing in the air of the living room that hadn't yet been contaminated. He couldn't help wondering what the Doc of 1985 would think of this when he saw this? Once the Ripple Effect caught up with him...

Marty's body convulsed with a shiver and he stared at the Doc, his vision a watery blur. Not again, Marty thought.

He was lost in another vision. Another delusion, so he liked to call it.

This man, this amazing, incredible person - The Doc. Doctor Emmett Brown. His Doc... His beautiful, adorable, amazing, fantastic, sexy -

'You've got chills,' the Doc said and he picked up Marty's glass. 'I'm going to call a doctor.'

'No!' Marty shouted, once again being pulled back to the present (or rather, 1967). 'Doc, you'll ruin time... you'll ruin it... Consequences of the space-time continuum?'

The Doc looked calculating. He kneeled in front of Marty, inches from his face.

Marty unwillingly tasted his breath; it was hot and ragged – with the sharp smell of coffee.

'You make an excellent point that by helping you I put your future in jeopardy, but if you're sick for too long, you won't be able to function normally and you won't be able to return to 1985 and there will be a massive paradox! I can't leave you sick like this, Marty. I can't. If you stay sick too long then you'll really be in trouble.'

His eyes dart from Marty's left to right eye, settling on his right. He pulled the black John-Lennon glasses off Marty's face and placed them on the coffee table.

'I'm going to ring the doctor right now and get them to take a look at you...'

'No, Doc, no! You're my doctor, Doc...'

Marty said it before he realized it. The Doc's face softened and he gave Marty a heart-warming smile.

'Then I'll get you another drink,' Doc said finally and picked up the glass. He left to the kitchen.

Marty sat in silence and pulled the blanket tighter around him.

Marty thought about the visions and the dull ache in his head which threatened a return of those strange, but perfectly natural-feeling pictures. Those weird, weird visions...

Doc returned with the glass dripping with perspiration and he pushed it into Marty's hands.

'Here.'

Marty gulped down the substance and then didn't know what happened to him. He lost his mind. He lost his mind to the electric pulses of LSD.

Marty didn't know what happened to him, but in the moment when the Doc sat in front of him and looked at him with that warm look, Marty wanted him. He wanted him so badly. His conscious mind would deem it inappropriate, irrational, stupid and idiotic, but in that moment he couldn't control himself. He needed the Doc, and physically, he had lost all self-control.

As the Doc placed the finished glass onto the coffee table and patted Marty's hair fondly, brushing several damp hairs away from his forehead, Marty leaned forward, grabbing and holding the Doc's stubbly face in his shaking hands, and propelling himself forward, pulling the Doc closer. Marty kissed him.

Marty didn't stop to know the Doc's reaction but he kissed him so hard. He kissed him with all his might, hands trembling with illness, his body shuddering for air. His lips slid over the Doc's and his mind didn't think 'this is wrong – this is so wrong' like it would have, but Marty wasn't thinking – acting on pure unadulterated instinct. He had completely lost his mind.

'M-Marty!'

The Doc pushed Marty away and Marty's eyes fluttered open in a daze. The Doc scrambled away across the carpet, his eyes wide. The seconds trickled by and Marty slowly regained proper consciousness.

They stared at each other. Marty's chest heaved and the Doc caught his breath and held it, completely still.

Marty suddenly grasped the reality of the situation in silent shock and horror. The Doc was equally stunned.

'D-don't you - do you want - why did -' he muttered and breathed words quickly, his mind surely working to the absolute limit. 'The fumes - this could ruin your future, Marty!'

'Doc,' Marty gasped, shaking his head, 'I'm sorry Doc. I couldn't help it, I -'

'Delusions...' the Doc muttered, his hand slapping his forehead. _'THESE_ are the delusions you had! These are the things you saw! Well, Marty, I can't allow it. I can't allow you to ruin your future!'

He rushed out of the room, silver cloak whipping behind him as he slammed the door to the bathroom shut.

Marty rested on the couch, listening to his heart pound against his chest, completely lost, but remembering, with a certain unease, that he and the Doc had to get Lorraine her money that night or his existence was in jeopardy. But, the Doc, knowing what had just happened, would he still help?


	4. Chapter 4

Emmett from 1985 was leaning, wide eyed, outside of the house, listening through the window to the scene which didn't make sense out of context. All he heard was yelling issuing through the window and walls.

'D-don't you - do you want - why did - the fumes - this could ruin your future, Marty!'

'Doc - I'm sorry Doc. I couldn't help it, I -'

'Delusions... _THESE_ are the delusions you had! These are the things you saw! Well, Marty, I can't allow it. I can't allow you to ruin your future!'

Then there was a door slam.

Then, suddenly, images flashed in front of his eyes as the Ripple Effect caught up with him.

'Great Scott!' he gasped.

He saw and felt the entire scene as the pictures fluttered into his head. He saw the results of Marty's actions to the future of his '55 self -the past of his present self!

He saw that Marty's actions had intrigued his past self, so much in fact that he was fired from the University of Hill Dale because of it!

In the original time line in 1968, Emmett had been fired from his science professor post from using his students to help him in a new experiment he was working on; to put all his clocks in synchronization.

'This isn't in the curriculum, Professor!' one student objected one afternoon when Emmett had pushed separate papers in front of each student; to research separate clocks and find their blue prints.

'It is! The curriculum advices that each of you complete exercises which put your skills to good use,' Emmett said stiffly, holding a blue-print out in front of him and thinking of a way to wire the clock to a single timing-device.

'Yes, sir, but only on subjects outlined by our course outline.'

Curse the course outline, Emmett protested mentally, I'm giving these kids science to do! _Legitimate_ science!

That was the original timeline. This time however, the quirky professor was fired for a different reason...

One afternoon he pushed tiny bags on each table filled with some fine, white powder.

Each student stared at the bags in amazement. A few even picked them up and shook them, eyes wide at the Professor.

'Today, I'm conducting a scientific experiment on each of you with this lysergic acid diethyl amide. However, before we commence, you'll each have to sign this paper,' Emmett brandished a contract in each of the class. There was a split second silence and then each of them scrambled forward and signed, grinning broadly at Emmett and shooting each other mischievous glances, amazed that their science professor could be so cool.

'This science experiment,' Emmett continued. 'I expect each of you to record your visions. Let me know, if any of you see visions or feel feelings which relate to any sort of homosexual tendencies.'

'Sure thing, Doc,' drawled a student, giving Doc a wink. After the students rolled their fags and lit up, the Doc passed each of them, shining a light in their pupils and asking questions. Then, a high pitched beeping filled the room and water gushed out of the ceiling like an upside-down sprinkler.

Mr Strickland burst through the door. 'Doctor Emmett Brown!'

He stared, rheumatic eyed at the professor and the students who were dozing in their seats. He pointed at Emmett, his hand firm; his lip trembling with fury.

'That's it! Professor Brown, this type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable. Come with me. We're going to see the Head of Department,' Strickland approached a student and yanked their roll of LSD out of their mouth and proceeded to throw it onto the floor and stamp it out. 'I knew you'd blow it one day, Mr Brown. I knew you'd mess up one day... what were you thinking, Doctor Brown? What were you thinking?'

He was now merely centimeters away from Emmett's face. The scientist forced a small smile.

'It's all in the name of science.'

'Not the science of this University, Mr Brown. You're dismissed,' Strickland pointed out the classroom and Emmett scooped up his papers and marched out. Strickland turned to the students in the class. 'Put those smokes out or it's detention for each of you!'

Emmett of 1985 slid down the wall and screwed his eyes up in concentration, a hand running over his white hair. What else had changed? His meeting with Marty? A few images flickered at the back of his retina. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

It was a chilly night in Hill Valley, 1975, and Emmett was giving his dog, Einstein, a walk past Burger King. He peered inside at the happy families eating their meals and smiled wryly, but then something caught his eye. A boy - a small boy - possibly around eight years old. The boy held a burger up to his mouth and stared out the window, directly at the scientist.

It took Emmett a few seconds to recognize the boy but he had seen him nonetheless; it was Marty McFly. Although his face was young and boyish, Marty still had his charming blue eyes and brown hair flopped on his forehead. As their eyes locked, a piece of lettuce fell out of Marty's burger and onto his food tray. His older brother, Dave, conked Marty on the nose.

Marty and Dave exchanged a few words and Marty listened, his mouth half open.

Then Marty looked back out towards Emmett who had stopped in the middle of the footpath, the street deserted save a few cars driving past. Marty pointed out the window and Dave peered out towards Emmett. His eyes darkened. Emmett grimaced. He was going to tell his brother that he was a crazy old man, that he had once tried to poison his students back in '68 and had even killed two dogs. It was all utter nonsense of course. The rumors had their sources but they were warped and unrealistic; false.

Emmett saw Marty look out the window towards him and Einstein tugged on the leash. Emmett patted the dog and gave the wide-eyed Marty a small smile. Then he walked off down the street.

That was the first time Emmett Brown saw Marty McFly – properly anyway. He could remember it clearly; there was that feeling one gets when they see a party they're not invited to. That's how Emmett felt as he looked into the lit Burger King, Marty's family happy and well, laughing and giggling as they ate their meal, however greasy, unhealthy or artery clogging it was.

Emmett didn't properly meet Marty until a few months later. Emmett was walking down to a clock shop, holding a device of his own. It had stopped and Emmett had worked tirelessly over it for the past few hours, trying to get it to run again, but the mechanics were stubborn. As Emmett walked down the street, sun burning brightly over his head, a kid ran out of Burger King and bumped into him, whamming into his chest.

'Oof!' went Emmett, and he tried to push the boy off but he was clamped around his middle in a vice grip. Emmett looked wearily up and saw Marty's parents. With a gulp, he tried again to pull the boy off, the boy, which could be none other than Marty McFly.

'Marty!' Lorraine called. 'Marty McFly come back here this instant!'

Emmett could see they were uneasy about their son being clamped around a man who had been rumoured to be a heretic.

Emmett spoke to Marty. 'Your parents want you.'

The boy's voice was muffled in his chest. Emmett prised the boy's hands apart from behind his back, circular clock still in hand. Marty McFly stared glumly at the ground, his hands at his sides.

'I don't wan' 'em,' the blue-eyed boy grumbled. Then he looked bitterly at the clock in Emmett's hand. 'You're crazy right? You make things don't you? Cool, crazy science stuff?' Emmett didn't know what to say to that. The boy had clearly been listening to what the townsfolk of Hill Valley said about him which was no doubt questionable. But he was a scientist and he did make "cool, crazy science stuff". Marty continued, 'Melt their brains for me.'

Emmett was astonished. He bent down to Marty's level and tried to catch his gaze, but Marty was still staring at the pavement, his parents approaching carefully behind him. He was wearing a red shirt, jeans and chucks and Emmett was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and dark pants, hidden beneath a silvery coat. They didn't look like they belonged together, but Emmett knew, sometime in the future, that they would.

'Kid,' Emmett began, placing a hand on his shoulder. 'I don't have anything to melt your parents' brains. Even if I did, how would they be able to take care of you if I-'

_Smash!_

'Marty!' Lorraine shouted, finally reaching them and pulling her son into her chest. 'I'm so sorry, um... _Professor_ Brown. He's just upset.'

The clock rested, the glass cracked, on the ground. Marty had knocked Emmett's hand away and in doing so, surprising him completely, the clock crashed into the asphalt.

'No problems, no problems,' Emmett muttered, glancing at Marty and catching his eye as he bent and picked the clock up.

Lorraine took a few steps back and tried to pull Marty away from the scientist.

'Marty, say sorry.'

'Sorry.'

'Say sorry Mr Brown for breaking your clock.'

'Sorry Mr Brown for breaking your clock.'

'Very good. Let's go back inside. Very sorry to disturb you, Mr. Brown.'

She turned and pulled a disgruntled Marty by the hand back towards her husband and back inside Burger King. Emmett sighed and looked at the clock. His eyes widened. The hands were moving!

'Uh, excuse me!'

Why was he doing this? Emmett asked himself. You don't want to impose, do you? You've bothered them enough for one day.

Marty turned and beamed at the scientist. 'So you are going to melt their brains!'

'Marty! Don't be rude!'

'Uh, no,' Emmett said. 'No, er, just wanted you to know that my clock... Marty actually fixed it. Just wanted to let you know. Yes. Good day.'

He stopped and then strode straight past them, listening to Lorraine speak as she dragged Marty back inside Burger King.

'Now, Marty you shouldn't be talking to strangers.'

'But I saw him one time!'

'He's still a stranger, Marty. We don't know who he is or what he's been doing. Going up to strange men in the street and-'

'He's not that strange.'

Emmett couldn't help grinning, and once Marty and Lorraine were safely back inside, he turned on his heel and walked back up the street, remembering that since the clock was fixed he didn't need to replace it. As he passed Burger King he couldn't help but look inside. There they were, the McFly family, sitting at that table up against the glass like they had a few months ago.

As Emmett passed, Marty looked up from his fries and stared at the scientist, a few chips dropping onto his lap. Emmett winked at him and after a few moments, Marty grinned.


	5. Chapter 5

Marty knew he had to go to that seminar soon. He pushed himself off the couch and draped the blanket over the top.

'Doc!' Marty called to the Doc. 'I'm going out for a bit!'

The reply from the bathroom was a muffled one, but Marty didn't have to decipher it. He climbed out of the window and landed directly next to the Doc of 1985.

'Marty,' Doc breathed, staring into his eyes like a mad-man.

'What?' Marty asked. And then he remembered the LSD incident. How could he not? Marty groaned. Don't tell me the Ripple Effect caught up with him, Marty thought morose fully; it was an accident, that's all it was - an accident. It could have happened to anybody.

'We have to make sure your mother gets that five-hundred dollars!'

'Oh right. Sure,' Marty stared up into the sky. It was twilight already, the sun almost out of sight. Marty sighed and held his head, giving a small groan; his migraine hadn't quite worn off yet.

He expected it'd be pounding for the next hour or two.

*

Unfortunately the plan to get Lorraine five-hundred dollars didn't work.

Instead, Lorraine sent the money to Uncle Mickey, not wanting to accept it, so Marty and Doc strode through town, not saying much to each other, Marty trying out a hippie-swagger whilst the Doc occasionally glanced over looking bothered about something. Marty tried to ignore it. Then he saw a flyer plastered to a window.

'Doc, that's it!'

The Doc turned to stare at him.

'Lorraine wants me to speak at this rally. I'll do it, and when I get up to speak, I'll give her the money and say it's a gift from all of her anti-war friends who want her to celebrate her anniversary with her husband in San Francisco. I'll get everybody to applaud and she'll have to say yes,' Marty explained in a flash of inspiration. 'Then we just have to make sure she gets on the bus to Berkley.'

'It's good, Marty,' the Doc nodded. 'Very good.' He stared at the flyer and then pointed to it. 'All right, you get yourself on this problem... Circulate these all over town: the bigger the turnout, the better. Meanwhile, I'll get the money and meet you in town square at noon tomorrow.'

Marty suddenly was hit with a horrible realization.

'Uh, Doc: where are you gonna get five hundred dollars? Lorraine sent it to Uncle Mickey.'

'Dr. Emmett Brown has a bank account in 1967. When the bank opens in the morning, I'll just make a withdrawal from "my" account.'

The next day, despite a slight misdirection from the Doc about his account, they figured out a time to get everything done. At 7:15, Marty would go on to speak at the rally and Doc would slip him the cash before that. Then Lorraine was to catch a bus at 8:00 so she and George would be able to get to Mark Hopkins at 10 pm for their anniversary. It could work. Then they'd have plenty of time to get to the Doc from '67 at the Canyon and go back to the future.

*

Emmett's attempts to get the five-hundred dollars from his other self were successful, though, not without a minor mishap.

'Great Scott, I look terrible!' exclaimed the Doc from '67 as he peered into a mirror. The Doc from 1985 stood as a reflection, copying with amazing accuracy the Doc from '67's movements towards the mirror. When he finished, the Doc from '67 shook his head and said, 'That's it, no more LSD for me.'

That's right, Emmett thought. No more for you, but all your leftovers go towards those lovely students of yours as part of a science experiment.

*

The rally went well and Lorraine was sent off with George as planned. Marty's conception would go under way without any problems: he would still be born and had no reason to disappear. Then he remembered he had to see the Doc from '67 again, just after that embarrassing LSD incident. He prayed to god the Doc wouldn't bring any LSD with him, but, he thought, he probably learnt his lesson.

He and the Doc from '67 would have drove in silence if it weren't for the Doc running over the entire plan, seemingly oblivious to what had happened before. When they arrived at the Canyon, they jumped out and stared down the cliff. The DeLorean was loaded from the truck and the ailerons were attached to the back, the pole and hook mounted on the side.

'Piece of cake, eh, Marty?' came the Doc's voice. Marty looked over the canyon rim; he suddenly had reason to be afraid of heights.

'What kind of cake?'

The Doc from '67 went over the specifics of the plan, showing Marty exactly what he had to do for the plan to work. He and the Doc from '85 could return to their time... at least, that's what he thought; apparently the Doc had done all his calculations according to only Marty leaving, and so, an extra passenger would throw off all his calculations.

Marty met the Doc from '85 at the starting line and he told Doc about the weight problem.

'There's no alternative, Marty. I'll have to stay behind,' was the Doc's conclusion.

'No, Doc. I'll stay behind. You go back to the future, repair the DeLorean and come back here for me!'

'It won't work, Marty. I'll still need to generate 1.21 jigowatts to come back, and who knows how long that'll take?'

'But if you come back to this moment to get me, it won't take any time at all!' Marty objected but then the Doc from '67's voice tuned in over the radio: it was time to go. They each looked horrified: a decision had to be made!

'Let's see, we have to get you back in time for your date with Jennifer...' muttered the Doc.

'I'm not going, Doc! You are!' Marty yelled. God, he thought, Doc, just leave and then pick him up! Another time line would be made but that wouldn't matter because it would all work out in the end, right?

But thank god for science, Marty thought as the two expressed a compromise idea. They could get rid of some luggage in the DeLorean they'd be able to leave together because the weight would be equal! So Marty started to throw things off the DeLorean as the Doc from 1985 drove the DeLorean down the road. Marty started to unhook the doors. Those weighed quite a bit; if those were gone they could return together without any problems.

The bomb on the tower exploded with a massive BOOM! Sparks shot through the sky, the power lines glowed electric blue and then the DeLorean shot into the future upon receiving its dose of 1.21 jigowatts.

They pulled over in front of Marty's house. No paradox seemed to have occurred despite the strange LSD event.

'I'll change clothes and zip over to Jennifer's.'

'I'm going to check on Einstein – so I'll catch you later.'

Marty nodded. 'Right, Doc. It's been real.'

It was definitely an experience that 1967.

'Only some of it, Marty.'

Marty flew into the house and greeted his parents who were back to normal. Thank god, Marty thought, but as he jolted up the stairs and threw off his '67 gear, he placed the glasses against the table and stared into the mirror, frowning slightly. Only some of it was real... was the Doc generalizing about '67 with all the hippies and stuff or was he talking about-

'The kiss...' Marty murmured, and he brought his fingers to his lips and shut his eyes, remembering. But then he slapped himself and pulled on some eighties clothes before proceeding to go to Jennifer's house.

I'll see her, Marty told himself. I'll see her and everything will be fine. It'll be like that thing with Doc never happened, right?

Marty walked over to the hammock after parking his Toyota in front of Jennifer's house. Marty sighed with relief; she was alive and well. He sat down on the hammock and it made a small creaking noise. He ignored it and instead tried to wake Jennifer by shaking her gently. She moaned, still lost in sleep so Marty tried again.

Come on, Jen, he thought. Wake up.

He stared at her pouting lips and peaceful face. How could he like the Doc when there was an angel right in front of him? But then he remembered how he felt that night, that ... weird feeling for the Doc. Yeah, he thought. He _could_ like him, probably. But hell! He had Jennifer! The Doc would think he was a screw-up if he tried anything funny; one incident was more than enough.

He kissed Jennifer full on the lips and she woke. He lied to her about the time-traveling incident and then they were on their way for the date. Their date, together... finally.

It felt like a lot more than two weeks planning.


	6. Chapter 6

Emmett arrived at his house and parked the DeLorean in his science van, sighing. He still had to fix the damned DeLorean, needed to get it some more doors.

Emmett rubbed his eyes and then entered his house, raising his voice uncertainly. 'Einie?' The large dog came scampering to its owner and its tongue lolled happily in his head. Emmett smiled and patted the dog fondly. 'We've got one last bit of plutonium, we could go to the future and fix the DeLorean, couldn't we? We could get a new Mr Fusion.' Einstein wagged its tail in agreement and the Doc nodded firmly. 'Knew I could count on you.'

As Emmett Brown drove into the future and waited for the Mr Fusion to be fixed on his car, he wandered into café eighties and slumped onto the table. He ordered himself a coffee, even though he told himself he should lay off the caffeine, and sipped at the cup once it was placed in front of him. He pressed his thumb into the reader to pay and sighed, stirring sugar into the beverage.

'Oh, Marty,' Doc sighed, shaking his head and bringing the spoon to his mouth. Then he stared at the spoon and put more sugar into his drink, twirling it around before letting the spoon rest in the tiny-whirlpool of coffee. His eyes followed the spoon as it was pushed around the glass, soon coming to a halt. 'What are we going to do with you?'

In the original timeline, he had over looked certain childish tendencies Marty McFly had carried out, but in this one, this new time line, he had been suspicious, and so tiny doubts rose in the scientist's mind.

'Curse that LSD,' the Doc muttered, taking a gulp of the coffee and smacking his lips. 'And curse time-travel and all the Ripple Effect memories which get crammed into your head and give you bloody headaches,' he paused and chuckled. 'Though, I suppose the old ones fade a little bit.'

He sipped again at his cup and with a clatter; he let it rest on the plate. He stared at the television where a politician was giving a speech about gay rights. What an amazing coincidence, Doc thought, mildly amused, but then he sighed again and shook his head.

When Emmett had put up an advertisement in the paper for assistance on his projects, the last person he expected to see was Marty McFly appear at his doorstep. Years had passed since the incident with the clock, though they had seen each other passing through Hill Valley, and although the gleam in Marty eye was curiosity, the Doc's was suspicion and inner knowledge about the future.

'Marty, uh, hello!' Emmett exclaimed as he let Marty into his house. Marty kicked the skateboard into his hand and looked around Emmett's house.

'Hi,' he said, scratching the back of his head. He looked at the scientist up and down; it was the same attire he was wearing when they met outside Burger King those few years ago. Marty's mouth twitched into a half smile. 'Hey... Don't you buy new clothes?'

'Not exactly,' Emmett said, shutting the door and leading Marty in through his garage. 'I don't really need new clothes, so I seldom buy new ones. I'm not one for materialistic possessions.'

He gave Marty a wry smile and Marty nodded, looking around the mess that was his house.

He's shy, Emmett told himself. He's shy to say anything.

'I'm here about your ad in the paper. I want to help out here. You said you'd pay me, right?'

'Yes. You're saving up for that guitar?'

Marty looked at Emmett suspiciously. 'Yeah – wait... How'd you know?'

Emmett felt like kicking himself. 'Just, I mean, how else would you afford it?'

'My parents said that if I pay for it they won't complain about the noise,' Marty said meekly, shrugging. He laughed. 'I bet they're gonna complain anyway. Y'know, electric guitars aren't the quietest of instruments.'

Emmett grinned. That was the first time he heard the boy properly laugh. 'I had it planned that if you helped me with a few... er... things, I'd pay you. Sound reasonable to you?'

Marty smiled. 'That was the plan, right? So, uh, Doc?' He tried out the name and then laughed. 'So, I heard... I heard you're a pretty crazy guy.'

It didn't sound like an insult, Emmett thought. He nodded at Marty and began pulling things out of piles, and handing them to the boy.

'I heard you made experiments and stuff,' Marty continued and Emmett nodded, shoving a few more things into his hands.

'You shouldn't believe everything you hear,' Emmett quipped wisely.

'But that one's true, right?'

Emmett's eyebrow quirked into his forehead and he stared at Marty. 'Certainly. And that's exactly what you're going to be helping me with.'

'Neat! Just wait until I tell the guys-'

'No,' Emmett said firmly, and Marty looked taken aback.

'No?'

'Yes. No. I mean, yes to your no,' Emmett said and his face remained hard and serious. 'By accepting this job, you promise not to tell any of your friends about these experiments, the things I tell you or the jobs you undertake. By hiring you I would like you to –'

'Yeah, I get that, Doc. Don't worry. Don't worry about a thing,' Marty said and he gave Emmett a light punch in the arm, weighing the objects in his other hand. 'I get what you're saying. I won't breathe a word, I promise. I just got a little carried away, is all.'

'Good,' Emmett replied and he pointed at the things he had pushed into Marty's arms. 'Now, first off I want you to reorder there into boxes,' he pointed to the back of the garage. 'If you could organise them by date, that'd be very helpful and make things a lot easier for me to find.' Marty pulled a few more blue-prints and papers off of piles and pulled up a chair in front of the boxes, ready to start. 'Thanks, Marty.'

'You're the Doc, Doc.'

Emmett finished his coffee and he pushed the cup forward and left to pick up the fixed DeLorean, the Mr Fusion re-installed. Of course, that fateful meeting was the start of their friendship, though, as Emmett's '67 self had decided, he'd be extra suspicious about the actions of his future friend.

'Whoa, Doc!' Marty exclaimed as he filed through some old documents. When Emmett looked up from his working desk, Marty waved a Playboy magazine at him. Emmett gulped. '_Playboy_! I didn't know you had any!'

'Those are for scientific purposes!'

Well, it sounded good; Emmett thought as he rushed over and pulled the magazines out of Marty's hands. He strode over to the bin and dropped it inside, the provocative pictures staring up at him. Marty grinned.

'What?' Emmett asked.

'Nudie mags, Doc,' was all Marty said and he snickered. 'You, uh, you, uh, don't seem the type.'

Emmett thought for a moment. Marty was around twelve years old now, surely hormones must have taught him a few things about the sexual libido and male stimulation. He waved his hands around and pushed the thoughts out of his mind, trying to misdirect Marty's attention.

'I don't think your parents would approve of you looking at those, Marty,' Emmett said, pointing at a pile of old experiments. 'Now, Marty, now... I want you to pull this all down – any papers, organize them and as for the experiments, put them in different boxes according to size and or shape.'

But Marty still looked at the magazines and Emmett couldn't help but remember 1967 with the kiss-incident. Emmett couldn't help but wonder what Marty was thinking about as he looked at the bin – was he thinking about his own sexual fantasies involving the women from those pages? Or was he thinking about Emmett and what he – Emmett Brown, stop right there. The '67 incident was just that – an incident. Marty does not have any homosexual thoughts or feelings, and if he does, they're purely from teenage hormones and feelings of sexual experimentation. Get those delusions out of your head.

Emmett couldn't help smiling at that very thought. Now _he_ was the one with delusions... How - he furrowed his eyebrows - obscure.

Either way, when Marty left, he pulled the magazines out of the bin and shoved them in his desk drawer, safe from prying eyes. He locked the drawer and shoved the key into his pocket, thinking back on the event in '67, a strange, uncomfortable kind of nostalgia pulling himself back in time and to when he was fired for letting students light up for a science experiment – a science experiment which really should have been done on Marty.

As Emmett jumped into the DeLorean, a new thought struck him.

Marty was here and Emmett still had some LSD left over from that day... Maybe it was time he conducted another experiment. That way, things would be clear once and for all. If Marty had visions which had nothing to do with any type of previous homosexual urges, Emmett could deem '67 as being a mistake, but if it happened again... well, Emmett would either begin questioning Marty or his drug manufacturer in 1967.


	7. Chapter 7

'It's a once in a lifetime deal, McFly. Your end's good for an easy 2 G's. Like I said, major cash-ola.'

Winch was a real dick head, Marty decided. His car, his face, his stupid no-good attitude – what was so great about money anyway? I mean, sure, it's necessary if you want to survive but it's not all that matters in life. There were a lot more socially acceptable methods of financial gain anyway.

Marty almost grinned. The Doc would be proud. He had finally learned something about financial gain.

'Not interested guys.'

Winch and Lomax shrug and drive off. Marty felt an inner feeling of pride, of self fulfilment. That wasn't too hard, he thought.

Jennifer was relieved and Marty went back to her on the hammock, staring at her beautiful hair, her lashes, her eyes, her lips.

'Now where were we?' Marty asked, drawing nearer.

'Right about here...' Jennifer said. Just as they were about to kiss there was a loud noise and the DeLorean screeched to a halt in front of them. The Doc yelled out of the car.

'Marty! Marty!'

'No, not again...' Marty groaned. 'I'll be right back.'

Marty joined the Doc at the DeLorean. What's gone wrong this time, he thought wearily.

'You left your driver's license and things in my glove compartment,' the Doc informed him. Marty's body un-stitched itself.

'Oh, right..'

Doc handed Marty his license, student ID and Norman's Blue Card from the future. Marty looked at it and turned over the card, it was completely blank. Marty didn't understand.

'What's it mean, Doc – that now Norman doesn't exist in the future?' Marty was spurting out words before he could catch up with them. He remembered the kiss with Doc and dreaded something had happened to his and Jennifer's relationship because of some stupid thing with the Doc. 'That we don't get married? Or is the whole future changed somehow? Or erased?' Marty took a deep breath. 'You're the scientist, Doc: what's it mean?'

'It means that the only thing we can be sure of about the future is that they'll still have blue plastic cards,' Doc explained, and Marty still stood stiff, a mingling worry in the pit of his stomach. 'Your future, Marty, for better or worse, is entirely up to you. It always has been, it always will be.'

Marty was confused though. That didn't answer his question about Jennifer's relationship... Was it still alive? Would they make it through?

'So make it a good one.'

Doc gave Marty a wink and Marty smiled. Maybe that meant he and Jennifer could stay together. In fact, the future is what he made of it so of course it was! He could have a healthy, happy relationship with Jennifer and they'd live happily ever after without ever happening to mention he and Doc's kiss!

But then a thought struck Marty. What about the Doc? What would become of _his_ future?

'And what about you, Doc? Are you going back?' Marty asked him.

'Back to the future?' was Doc's reply. 'Nah. I've done enough screwing around with the fourth dimension.' He revved up the DeLorean. 'But the fifth dimension – now that's something to shoot for!'

Doc's eye was filled with a crazy glint and Marty wondered what the hell was the fifth dimension, but before he could ask the Doc shifted into gear and roared down the street in the time machine. Marty shook his head and looked at the blue card again. Jennifer came beside him.

Marty smiled, threw the blue card into the trash can and put his arm around her. They strolled off together down the street in the gleaming sunlight, warm and happy together, as a couple, as a future family.

It could work, Marty thought.

'So how about that ride, mister?' Jennifer prodded Marty's side and Marty turned and kissed her forehead.

'Sure thing, Jen. We can go down to the lake and make out under the stars.'

'Sounds like a plan,' Jennifer grinned and she kissed Marty on the lips. Marty smirked, looking down the street where the DeLorean had disappeared. Tonight was going to be perfect.

*

Marty couldn't help feel nervous as he packed his bag for the trip. Everybody downstairs knew where he was going and what was probably going to happen, but Marty's insides crawled with insects, his head overwhelmed with insecure thoughts.

God damn it Marty, he told himself. You're a man. You're strong. You can do this. You've got nothing to worry about – Jennifer is in the same boat as you, right?

He shoved a circular alarm clock into his bag, but couldn't help looking at it for a few moments. The Doc had given him that clock for his thirteenth birthday. The Doc hadn't turned up to his party with his friends, but Marty had visited him later that night, giving the Doc a slice of marble cake.

The Doc had taken the plastic plate in his hands and smiled at Marty.

'You've got some skill to carry a piece of cake through Hill Valley at night on a skateboard.'

Marty grinned as the Doc placed the piece of cake on his working desk. Marty motioned around the garage. 'Well, Doc, I couldn't invite you to my party so I figured our own little party at the end of the day would work.'

'I haven't got anything to have a party with,' the Doc muttered. 'Except... Well, I have some records and an old player.'

'That'll work,' Marty exclaimed and he searched through the garage until he found the player. He pulled out a few records and held a large black disk in his hands, putting it on machine and letting the pin slide over its surface. 'Do you mind, Doc?'

'Not at all.'

As Marty listened to the song "When I'm 64" by the Beatles, he played his air guitar and pointed to the piece of cake. 'Don't you want to eat it?'

'Yes, but not – oh what the heck,' the Doc said and he picked up the cake and broke off a piece, pushing it into his mouth, he made an approving grunt. 'This cake isn't bad. Did your mom make it?'

'She sure did,' Marty beamed and he sat down on a chair, staring into the Doc's brown eyes. Then Doc looked at him and then expressed a burst of inspiration with a yell. That was when the Doc moved across to his clock collection and pulled a white one off a desk. He pushed it into Marty's hands.

'Happy birthday,' he said gruffly, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking embarrassed. Marty held the device in his hands and beamed at the Doc.

'From your clock collection? No way,' he stared at it and held it in his hands like a bird's egg. 'I'll take care of it, Doc. Thanks a lot.'

The Doc's eyes filled with pleasure and his mouth perked into a smile as he chewed on another morsel of cake. Marty beamed at him, grateful he had met such an awesome guy. He was glad he was able to spend some of his birthday with him. After spending the day out at the movies with Jennifer and his friends, it was good to get away from it all and spend some time with the Doc.

Marty pushed the clock into his knap sack and then looked to his desk; the clothing from the sixties. Marty pulled the John Lennon glasses off his desk and perched them on his nose, looking into his mirror.

'Yo, man. _Dude_, I ain't got no tripping stuff,' he did the hippie swagger and felt himself smirking into his reflection. He pulled out his peace necklace out from a draw and held it out in front of him like a talisman. 'Peace, man, peace. Peace and _love_.'

Marty chuckled and put the necklace and glasses away, turning to his bag. He looked at the digital clock on his bedside table. It was quarter to eight. In other words, time to go. He bounded down the stairs and shouted a goodbye to his parents before they could remind him about safe sex and respecting women. He jumped into his four by four Toyota and revved the engine, marvelling at its rumbling purr.

Jennifer was wearing a dress over her jeans when he saw her, and looking at her dress, he realized that she wasn't wearing a bra. He grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her parents stood behind her.

'Don't worry, I'll take good care of her,' Marty assured them. 'Have a nice evening Mr and Mrs Parker.'

'Let's go,' Jennifer whispered in Marty's ear and he pulled her around back towards the Toyota. They were going to go up to Hill Valley peak, where there was a view of the whole town. They could watch and kiss without fear of being disturbed.

'Got your sleeping bag?' Marty asked her as he left the "Welcome to Hill Valley" sign behind them, driving past. Jennifer snuggled up close to him whilst he drove and Marty kept his cool as Jennifer's voice sent shivers down his spine.

'Yes, but all I need to sleep tonight is you.'


	8. Chapter 8

Emmett Brown sat on the edge of his bed, Einstein lying on the ground at his feet wagging his tail as Emmett rubbed the dog's back with his foot.

'Oh, Einstein, where on earth is one supposed to start with fifth dimension research? Maybe I should just go time travelling a little more, broaden my mind a bit, keep my mind open,' Emmett said to the large dog whose tail wagged once at the prospect of time travel. 'I couldn't bring you with me of course; maybe I'll go alone. I've always wanted to go to the West, maybe I should go there sometime. How does 1885 sound to you?' Emmett looked down at Einstein and his foot nudged the dog's side thoughtfully. 'Why am I talking to you about this? You won't understand, you're a dog.' Though, Emmett glanced at the drawer of his working desk and remembered the Playboys hidden inside. 'Maybe I should continue my research on women – figuring them out. That's one mystery which would receive a lot of praise if solved.'

Einstein got to its feet (its paws, Emmett thought) and his collar jingled as he trotted away. Emmett sighed and lay down against his pillows, his cotton pyjamas warm and comforting against his skin, but his feet felt a chill. He got up and turned the heating system on before returning to the edge of his bed, picking up a book by Jules Verne from underneath.

Einstein returned carrying a bag of something in his mouth and Emmett's mouth fell open.

'Einie! You shouldn't touch that!' Emmett said as he yanked the bag out of the dog's jaw. Emmett sighed and stared at the tiny plastic bag filled with the white powder, but then he lit up, remembering his scientific experiment from the sixties and its failure. 'Do you think maybe it's time to do that experiment on Marty?'

The dog flopped down against Emmett's feet.

'I can't help but wonder of the ethics of it, Einie. Is it right to do a scientific experiment on somebody without their permission even if by doing so was for their own benefit? I can't tell him about it because I know he'll know what I'm getting at and that would bring up some strange questions...' Emmett paused. 'But even if I did give this to him without him knowing, he would know, or suspect so soon enough and would want some answers.' The scientist thought for a moment. 'Great Scott! This is heavy.' Emmett got to his feet and began pacing, and then he searched through boxes for his paper on what little results he picked up from his students from Hill Valley University. 'I can't remember if any of them experienced homosexual tendencies, in fact, I didn't get much down about them at all because Strickland interrupted me. Good god, if only he had come in ten minutes later, I'd have some answers.' The man pulled out a piece of paper and shook a spider off of it. He squinted at the scrawl he had written. 'Well, from what I observed, the students were just beginning to show signs of drug use from the size of their pupils by the time Strickland approached. I wrote here that it's possible LSD had a different effect on different people, but it was more likely for sexually repressed teenagers to experience sexual fantasies from taking a hallucinogen like LSD.'

Einstein barked suddenly at the sound of somebody at the front door. Emmett dropped the paper and gathered his coat, stuffing the white bag in his pocket. Einstein's tail wagged at the door.

'Is it Marty?' Emmett asked his loyal companion. 'But he shouldn't be here, he should be out with Jennifer tonight for their big date. They've been planning it for weeks.'

But when Emmett opened the door it was not Marty. It was Mr Strickland.

Emmett hadn't seen him for months so the sight of him sent his eyebrows to scan his hair line.

The teacher occasionally paid visits to him to remind him about Marty being a _slacker_ and if Doctor Brown were to interfere with the boy's learning or grades, he wouldn't be allowed to make regular visits. But Emmett just thought Mr. Strickland had it in for him (and Marty too, he supposed) but Strickland was always suspicious of him since his classes at Hill Valley University. Whenever there was a reporting of a drug overdose or drug use in town, Emmett was the first person he would visit, completely suspicious. The police had even searched his house a few times but after the first couple of times when they found nothing (Emmett had stored it under a few tiles) Strickland was told not to call about Doctor Brown again.

In the other time line, Strickland still made visits, though; they weren't as frequent and didn't include police raids of his house. But, Emmett thought, that's what happens to a time-line when a professor is caught giving LSD to his students.

Still, the presence of Mr. Strickland startled him. He hadn't remembered reading anything about drugs in the paper, nor had Marty missed out on any school lately – from what he knew anyway.

'Mr. Strickland,' Emmett exclaimed, quite breathless. 'What brings you here this evening?'

Strickland stormed right past him into his house and he sniffed the air, as if he were able to sniff out a mouse but Emmett didn't think his house had a mouse infestation.

'Doctor Brown,' Strickland announced, staring at the professor with those beady eyes, like he knew something Emmett didn't. 'I know what you've been up to.'

Emmett wasn't shaken. He had had enough of these threats to know to pay any attention to it.

'I've been up to a lot of things.'

'Don't be a smart mouth,' Strickland warned, and he pointed a finger at Emmett. 'I know that you took McFly out for a spin in that car of yours...'

'The DeLorean?' Emmett questioned and Strickland nodded.

'I talked to his parents and they weren't aware you took him out anywhere so it must have been something secret...'

What would his reaction be if Emmett told him it was for time travel?

'I was just taking him to the guitar shop on the other side of Hill Valley. He lost a guitar pick and needed a new one. He lost his other one,' Emmett said. 'in this mess,' he motioned around his garage, 'so I felt responsible for getting it replaced.'

Strickland looked furious as he always did when Emmett caught him off guard. You'd think he would have learned by now, Emmett thought, kind of irritated, and he walked to the door and opened it, motioning outside.

'Now, if you don't mind, I have some study I've been meaning to do so-'

'What kind of study?' Strickland demanded as he was ushered to the door. 'If it's something dangerous, Doctor Brown, I'll figure out what it is.'

Emmett rolled his eyes and lied blatantly. 'I'm fixing up a new clock to my synchronization group – I need to study its structure. Good night, Mr Strickland.' He pulled the door shut and held it an inch open so he could hiss. 'And don't come back!'

He slammed the door shut and stood at the frame, listening to Strickland's breathing on the other side. 'If I hear any disruptions from around this area, I'll rightfully assume it's from your side of the street.'

That's the last Emmett heard of Strickland that night. He put his notes about his LSD experiment away and crawled into bed, throwing his coat over the edge of a seat and wondering what Marty and Jennifer were talking about, what they were doing. Emmett shook his head and rolled over, flicking the lamp switch.

He would conduct the experiment the next time Marty came over, Emmett decided. He would prepare for his arrival the next morning. It was about time to figure out what the meaning of that kiss was once and for all, Emmett told himself determinedly.

He dreamt a wild array of LSD concoctions, science experiments and peculiar drug-induced delusions and woke the next morning with a splitting headache.


	9. Chapter 9

Marty McFly lay in his sleeping bag the next morning, his bare arms wrapped around Jennifer's waist, holding her close and sound like a teddy bear. He breathed in the fresh air and adjusted his head on the pillow, the fresh, cool air biting his face. He blinked and woke, sitting up and rubbing his eyelids, yawning, staring at their surroundings with trees and grass and more trees, including a rocky cliff face.

Marty stretched his arms and jumped out of his sleeping bag pulling some jeans on over his boxer shorts. He remembered the dream he had last night, it was so vivid! The dream was that he had had sex with Jennifer for the first time... and that it was _amazing_. Her skin had been so warm and soft that he could almost feel her breath and kisses against his ear, mouth, neck and chest. His body sighed with satisfaction as he pulled a shirt over his head.

Jennifer's bushy head lifted off her pillow and she yawned and rubbed her eyes like Marty. When she caught Marty's eyes from on the ground next to the Toyota, she smiled dozily at him.

'Good morning sleepy head,' she said.

Marty repressed a laugh. 'I'm the sleepy head? I'm the one who got up before you.'

'Yeah, well,' Jennifer slid out of the sleeping back, her bare legs glowing in the morning sunlight. Marty blinked.

'Were your jeans uncomfortable to sleep in?'

Jennifer's arm reached at the bottom of the sleeping bag which had been put together as one big one and pulled out a pair of jeans, shaking them out in the air. Her light blue dress blew in a morning breeze. 'Yeah, but I had to take them off anyway, remember?'

Marty jumped up onto the truck and ran a hand through Jennifer's hair. 'Remember what?'

All he could remember was that dream he had with Jennifer, how their mouths pushed together and Marty's boxer shorts were slipped off as he fished a condom out of his knap sack. He could remember Jennifer climbing over him and –

'Holy shit! Jennifer, that was real?'

Jennifer laughed that tinkling sound and she gave Marty a quick peck on the lips. 'Of course it was real. Gosh, Marty, are you okay? You seem really out of it.'

'Oh, I'm out of it all right,' agreed Marty and he shook his head. 'I can't believe I thought that was a dream... but, I'm glad it wasn't.'

'Me too,' said Jennifer and her lightly wet lips touched his again. They held each other for a few moments, their minds drifting to the earlier night. It had been their date, their night, and it was now over.

Marty was lost for words - thoughts too, for that matter. He sighed into Jennifer's hair and stroked it with his hand. Minutes passed, maybe a whole hour, Marty had no clue, but the time finally came where they pulled out their hug and Jennifer pulled her jeans on under her dress.

'We'd better get home, what time is it?'

Marty fished out the white clock the Doc had given him for his thirteenth birthday. It read 11:56am.

'Time to go home.'

*

Marty couldn't help but grimace at the looks he got from his family when he arrived home. Linda hid a smirk behind her breakfast bowl and Dave clapped him on the back and whispered. 'Was she good?'

Marty's reply was quick and simple. 'Shut up, Dave.'

Lorraine approached Marty and gave him an unexpected hug. Then she pinched his cheek and smiled.

'Well, Marty, it had to happen someday and I'm glad it was with Jennifer. She's such a nice girl.'

'Bet she's not so nice in the sack though, right, son?' came George's voice from the kitchen and Linda snorted milk out of her nose.

'Hey, I was gonna say that!' Dave retorted, putting his breakfast plate in the dish washer.

'I'm afraid you just weren't quick enough, son.'

Marty felt embarrassed, and when his mom asked him about using protection and stuff, he blushed and said, 'Yes, mom' and ran up to his room and shut the door. He threw his knapsack onto the floor and held his face in his hands. 'Jesus... I bet they're going to be like that for the rest of the day.'

Marty unpacked his bag listening to Huey and the News's The Power of Love and when he pulled out the white clock, pictures flashed into his head.

'M-Marty!'

The Doc pushed Marty away and Marty's eyes fluttered open in a daze. The Doc scrambled away across the carpet, his eyes wide. They stared at each other. Marty's chest heaved and the Doc caught his breath and held it, completely still.

'D-don't you - do you want - why did - the fumes - this could ruin your future, Marty!'

''Doc, I'm sorry Doc. I couldn't help it, I -'

'Delusions... _THESE_ are the delusions you had! These are the things you saw! Well, Marty, I can't allow it. I can't allow you to ruin your future!'

Marty pushed the clock forward on his desk, his mind thumping and his heart beating. Jennifer and Marty had finally done the deed, but the Doc... He couldn't forget what happened with the Doc. Thinking about it, the thoughts crammed in his head, he felt like he was lying to Jennifer not talking about it. He decided he'd tell Jennifer about it next time they saw each other because he felt that then... maybe the pictures and memory of his kissing the Doc would go away and leave him alone for good. He'd feel a lot better about himself if he told her too. Marty sighed and thought for a moment. He should probably talk to Doc about it; get their feelings out in the open and on the table. Marty groaned and slapped his pillow down onto his bed. All this feeling stuff was giving him a headache.

He pulled his bag upside-down and the final few articles of clothing and thermostats fell out onto his quilt with a clatter. With a final glance towards the white clock propped on his bedside table, he picked up his skateboard perched next to the door and ran downstairs and out the door.

He had to talk to the Doc.

*

When Marty knocked on the Doc's front door, not only was he itching to get inside and talk about that kiss, he didn't like the look Mr. Strickland gave him as he passed by the Doc's street and Burger King with a stern look in his eye. Marty knew the Doc got visits from Mr. Strickland from time to time about his appearance at school, but what was he doing just outside? Was he stalking him?

The door creaked open and the Doc's wild face shone in the gap. His eyes were wide and serious and for a moment Marty was reminded of in 1955 when he first saw the Doc and his head had peeked through the gap in the door.

'Oh, it's you. Come on in, Marty, I was worried it would have been-'

'Mr Strickland? Yeah, what's he doing out there anyway?'

'You know the usual: thinks I'm up to no good. Come on in, Marty. You look worried, what's the matter?'

Marty was ushered inside by the Doc. It was the same as always; an organized mess, and Marty looked to the Doc as he busied himself behind a few boxes.

'Want a glass of water, Marty?' Doc asked.

Marty shrugged and nodded. 'Yeah, sure, Doc. I'm parched.'

When the Doc appeared from behind a few boxes holding the glass, it looked more like milk mixed with water. Doc held the glass out for Marty to take and Marty pointed to it.

'Why's it white?'

'Oh, that,' Doc said, sounding flustered. 'Yes, well, they're doing some work on the water pipes. We're still able to get water but they've putting some chlorine and other things through the water system to get rid of any disease or viruses lurking about.' Marty gave him a look and Doc waved his hands. 'It's perfectly fine, it won't hurt you. It's not dangerous.'

Marty raised an eyebrow at the Doc but then shrugged, sculling it down and whipping some water off his chin as he finished.. He placed the glass down on the floor and the Doc looked at him expectantly. 'What do you look so worried about Marty? Did something go wrong last night?'

Marty exhaled and shook his head, propping himself up on the Doc's desk and dropping his skateboard to the floor. It rolled forward a few meters and the Doc picked it up and propped it against a wooden pillar.

'No, no, it was fine, Doc. It was great. I, er,' Marty felt the sweat appearing on his forehead. 'Yeah, it was perfect. Just, Doc, there's something which has been bothering me that I felt I need to talk about with you...'

'Tell me,' Doc said, approaching Marty cautiously, his silver coat brushing his ankles. Marty sighed and shook his head, starting to regret coming here at all. He didn't need to bother the Doc with this sort of stuff... What good would it do? 'Marty,' the Doc repeated, 'you said you needed to talk to me about something.'

Marty thought about Jennifer and his promise and continued. 'Yes, well, do you remember in 1967... That time I accidentally inhaled some of your LSD, and I – uh. I...'

'You kissed me?' the Doc continued, his eyes widening and looking down to the glass up to Marty. 'What about it?'

'Well, I guess, I wanted to properly ... I guess I wanted to talk about that because, well, since last night with Jennifer, I feel like I'm sort of cheating on her with you –' The Doc's eyes were as wide as plates now. '- I don't mean we're in a relationship because we're not – not that kind of relationship anyway, but that LSD stuff made me see some pretty weird, er, stuff, and, well... I wanted to apologize for that.'

'Marty,' the Doc breathed, approaching Marty and putting his hands on his shoulders. He stared into his pupils like he was waiting for something and took a quick breath. 'That's okay. That's totally fine. It's in the past. You're excused. But, I should tell you about something.' The Doc brought his hands back to his sides and put them in his pockets.

He looked uneasy, which was understandable – Marty figured, it's not every day you talk about kissing your mentor, right? Of course he's nervous.

'Ever since that night, the Ripple Effect caught up with my future self and I could see how that action of yours changed my past self's views, and so, partly my future self's views. Changed my _past self's future_. I can't express to you how headache inducing all this has been. I was fired from Hill Dale University for a different reason to that of the original time line, Marty. It changed because you went and –' Doc pointed to his lips. '- kissed me, and, I was wondering about you and your motives for doing so when I was a teacher. I wasn't so sure of what it was all about... so I did an experiment on my pupils involving-'

Marty's mouth gaped open slightly. 'You gave your pupils LSD??'

'Yes,' Doc said grimly, 'I did. Strickland caught me before I could undergo any worthwhile research but the damage had already been done. I had already given the students their rolls of LSD and they were smoking up when the fire alarm went off and we were completely drenched.' The Doc bit his lip at the memory. 'I probably should have conducted it outside, now that I think about it, but, even if I could, I would have been in plain view of everybody on Hill Valley University campus.'

Marty listened and took all of the information in. He didn't realize what had happened in 1967 had had such an effect on the Doc of 1967, but, he frowned, thinking about it, he should have realized it before.

'So what exactly were you looking for by conducting this, uh, study, Doc?' Marty queried, jumping off the desk and leaning against it, his elbows brushing the surface.

'I was looking to see if any students experienced feelings or thoughts which contained a homosexual nature.'

Marty felt a bubbling in his stomach which he wasn't sure attributed to nervousness or not.

'You were researching gays?' he blurted out, his eyes wide. The Doc nodded stiffly. 'Well, what -why?'

'I wanted to be sure if what you had experienced that day was simply a total accident and could be connected to teenage sexual experimentation _or_ if there was some sort of substance behind it.'

'There was LSD behind it,' Marty muttered, but he got what the Doc meant, and the Doc knew what he meant when he said it. It was a bitter sort of disbelief. He didn't realize... He should have realized... 'Oh my god, Doc, what have I done?'

'It's not your fault,' Doc soothed, his hands still in his pockets. 'Actually, I feel guilty about that kiss now because, thinking about it, it was entirely my fault simply because my self in '67 felt drug taking was necessary to get genuine scientific visions and ideas. Luckily I stopped taking it after that but what I had leftover was used on my students and...'

The Doc fell short, and he stared at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed and face hidden.

'I'm so sorry, Marty,' he mumbled.

Marty didn't understand. He was about to comfort the Doc and say everything was going to be fine when he suddenly felt a rush of heat burst through his body, neck and face, his temperature rising significantly. After that second he suddenly felt dizzy and confused, he felt – something... something he had felt before. Something which reminded him of 1967 and that kiss with the Doc... He shut his eyes tight and opened them, voicing something which suddenly bothered him.

'Don't worry, Doc. You ran out of stuff, didn't you? There's none of it left, right?'

'Right,' the Doc agreed, but his eyes were filled with remorse. 'That is there isn't anymore.'

'Exactly,' Marty said, and his vision went blurry for a moment and his eyes shook with nystagmus. What was happening to him?

'No, but, Marty!' Doc cried, and his voice was hoarse and his eyes were watering at the edges. 'I'm sorry, because, I had planned to do another scientific experiment with the LSD. I had planned to do it again! I had it planned to do it _today_... and I did.'

Marty couldn't wrap his head around what the Doc was saying, but he saw the Doc and saw him there and... oh hell, he thought. Don't tell me...

'Marty,' the Doc continued, 'I'm _sorry_ because I used up the _last_ of the LSD on _you_,' Doc said and the boy's mentor wavered in his vision, an invisible force plummeting into his head and showing him a picture. A picture he had seen before, one he wished he would never see again. One of him and Doc together, in a tight embrace, bodies close, lips meeting into a passionate kiss, pushing each other against walls and taking each other's clothes off. It was a vision in his mind and Marty's eyes rolled in his head before the real Doc came into his vision, in front of him. 'Just then.' continued the Doc, and he pulled his hands out of his pockets, one holding a tiny plastic bag which was empty and the other pointing to something on the floor. 'In your glass of water.'

Marty's body fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, the image of Doc and him together floating in front of his eyes, his body reacting and fizzing inside like a badly mixed chemical formula.


	10. Chapter 10

As Emmett Brown watched his friend writhe on the ground, moaning and gasping for breath, he watched in terror and incredible guilt, feeling he had violated Marty in the worst possible way.

'Marty!' Emmett shouted and he rushed down to help him up. 'Marty?'

'Em-Emmett...' Marty fell back down the ground and brought Emmett with him. Emmett's insides crawled. Marty had never called him Emmett in his life. He gulped. This couldn't be a good thing. As he watched Marty trying to catch his breath, he felt like the biggest hypocrite in the world, the biggest idiot – and all for science and personal knowledge.

_''Delusions... THESE are the delusions you had! These are the things you saw! Well, Marty, I can't allow it. I can't allow you to ruin your future!'_

The words ran themselves over and over in his head and Emmett Brown silently cursed his stupidity. Here he was, twenty or so years later, ruining Marty's future. What if this seriously endangered Jennifer and Marty's relationship? It would be entirely his fault. Why didn't Emmett just ask Marty how he felt about him in the first place?

'Marty? Marty? Can you hear me?' Emmett said and Marty's body shook and shuddered in pain, his heart pounded against his chest with sexual pleasure and desire - both had negative connotations. Emmett felt beads of sweat appearing on his forehead; worry barely hiding his face of self-hatred. 'Marty, only time will make this pass.'

Emmett had never felt bigger a fool. But now he had to pay for what he had done to his friend, for sending him into a delusional stupor, for putting him in this mess. Emmett bent down and with all his strength pulled Marty up and held him up for a few moments, cringing at Marty's evident physical arousal.

'Come on, Marty, I'll let you rest somewhere more comfortable.'

Emmett hoisted Marty up into his arms so he was carrying him like a small child, but he wasn't a small child, he was a teenager, almost an adult. If this didn't cripple him, Emmett thought, nothing else would. He managed to reach his bed and his knees shook as he brought Marty to rest on the bed. He wasn't squirming or moving so much now, completely still, his eyes shut, breathing very fast. His eyes were darting under his eyelids like he was in REM state.

'And somebody spoke and I went into a dream,' Emmett quoted the song A Day In The Life and pulled up a chair to sit by Marty. He felt useless just sitting there, watching his friend suffer as an audience, so he went to get a damp towel and pressed it to his forehead hoping maybe he could calm him down.

After a few moments of pressing the cold damp towel to Marty's forehead, the teenager opened his eyes and smiled at Emmett. Doc Brown was unsure whether to smile back so he kept his face stern and serious.

'Doc,' Marty choked, and then he coughed into the back of his hand, struggling to keep conscious. 'Doc, am I dying?'

'I sure as hell hope not.'

Emmett pressed his two fingers into Marty's neck, almost jumping back in alarm. He was so _hot_! But he let his fingers press lightly against the burning skin, ignoring Marty's eyes doing a little dance all over his body. Stay calm, Emmett told himself. Stay calm, and everything will be fine.

'Your pulse is beating at an unnaturally fast speed.'

'Yeah, well, drugs do that, Doc. I thought you were a scientist.'

'I am,' Emmett grumbled, pushing hair out of Marty's forehead so it didn't get into his eyes. 'I'm stating the facts. That's what scientists do.' There was a pause, and then as Emmett felt something touch his thigh, he almost hit the ceiling. '_Marty_!'

Marty's hand had absently touched his leg and the boy's grin grew into a mischievous one, lost in delirium as Emmett leapt backwards.

'You yell, huh, Doc?'

Emmett stared disapprovingly at Marty but then he sighed and held his face in his hand. It wasn't his fault, he told himself, it was Doc Brown's fault for drugging the poor kid!

Then Marty's hands snaked downwards towards the hem of his jeans to unzip his belt but Emmett's hand jerked out and held his wrist in a vice-grip. 'You're not doing that while I'm here, mister.'

'_Mister?_ You sound like Jennifer.'

'Yeah, well, remember Jennifer. She's good to you.'

'She was _real_ good to me last night.'

'Yes, well, remember her and not me. Think about Jennifer.'

'Jennifer...' Marty mumbled and he sighed and took a deep shuddering breath. Marty pushed himself up to a sitting position, wincing no doubt at the physical restriction in his jeans. 'I'd rather not, Doc.'

Emmett took a steady step back, careful to keep his distance from the boy in case there was another repeat of last time... or worse. Suddenly, Marty's eyes focused on something behind the Doc and Marty's eyes widened in shock. 'What the hell is that!?'

'Where?' Emmett blurted out, spinning around.

'Aha!' Marty exclaimed and Emmett felt his hot, sweaty hands clasping his hands behind his back, holding him still.

'Marty...' he warned, 'Think about what you're doing. Think about who you could hurt.'

'Sorry, Doc, I don't mean to hurt you,' came Marty's voice whispering too close to Emmett's ear than he felt comfortable for. 'I just want to _kiss_ you.'

Marty swung Emmett around and Emmett stared into the boy's face. Marty McFly wasn't an abuser, he told himself, he wouldn't do anything which could potentially hurt his ego, would he? Emmett was amazed at Marty. His blue eyes were wide and shining and his pupils were large empty holes. Talk about being drugged up, Emmett thought solemnly and then Marty's hands were around Emmett's face, holding his face in his palms, and standing on the bed so he was Emmett's height. The springs creaked under his weight.

And then Marty pressed his mouth against Emmett's in a locking kiss, holding the two together like magnets. Emmett tried to resist by pushing Marty away but Marty just pushed himself further towards Dr. Brown, making escape impossible, almost unwise. Emmett got a strange vision of him pulling away from the boy and running, only to be tackled to the floor and as he would turn around wildly, Marty would climbed over him, straddling him and holding him down.

For god's sake, Emmett, the only way he'll leave you alone if you let him do this simple thing, just let him... Emmett's eyes screwed tight and he opened them, their lips still glued together in that kiss. He saw Marty's eyes blissfully shut, completely lost in the moment and as Emmett felt Marty's tongue slide across his bottom lip there was a dull ache in his stomach.

Stay calm, Emmett, he told himself. Don't do anything rash or he might-

Marty's hands let go of Emmett's face and ran through his white hair, stroking his neck and pressing his body closer and closer to that of the scientist's.

For blast's sakes, didn't Marty care that he was _old_?

Marty's hands held Emmett's hips firmly and Emmett gave up resisting, figuring, what the hell, this only happens once in a life time, even when you have a time machine. Emmett did something he never thought he'd do in a million years, in a gazillion years, in a billion trillion years! He amazed even himself as he kissed Marty back. The boy stopped dead at Emmett's sudden responsiveness and Marty pulled away for a moment to breathe a simple word. 'Doc.'

Emmett tried to ignore the lust in his voice and the eagerness and yearning he felt from Marty's hands touching his neck and hair and sides. You're a scientist, have you no self-restraint? But even his own crazy actions boggled the scientist's mind, the kiss deepened and he forgot about it.

Their mouths widened and their tongues lashed and slid across each other. Doc Brown tasted some of the LSD on Marty's tongue and smelt it in his breath and sweat. He wasn't worried about suffering the effects of the hallucinogen. That little amount wouldn't do anything to him, he thought, and thank god for that or we'd both be in shit.

The kiss was long and the two soon felt quite relaxed even though Emmett was trying to keep his heart beat to a normal pace, which proved unsuccessful. His thinking about it only made it go faster. Emmett then tried to keep his mind off the disgusting technicalities of kissing but words such as "tongues touching" and "saliva mixing" and "teeth clinking" kept jumping into his head. He considered saying 'shut up' out loud but thought that'd be a stupid move.

Without realizing it, Marty and Emmett had changed position. Emmett was now sitting on his bed, Marty on his knees in front of him, kissing slowly. Soon, everything stopped and Emmett drew away, daring himself to open his eyes and see the damage. He saw Marty panting and breathing, his eyelids drooping in a daze, in a pleasurable stupor.

'You're not a bad kisser, Doc,' said Marty and his mouth perked into a grin.

Emmett didn't trust himself to answer so he just stared at Marty. Then, Marty bent forward and kissed his neck and Emmett choked back a gasp as chills flitted down his spine like electric bolts when Marty's lips formed an 'o' shape on his skin and sucked the skin into his mouth. At the same time, Marty's hands eased Emmett's silver coat off his shoulders and his fingers teased the hem of Emmett's shirt.

'Marty, no,' he said sternly and Marty's lips drew away from his neck with a small smacking noise. He frowned.

'You didn't have a problem with it before.'

'The problem is constant,' replied Emmett.

Marty's face fell and he wrapped his arms around himself. Emmett sighed and he finally thought it was all over when Marty moved forward and pulled Emmett into a hug. Although the hug was more intimate than say, a hug between friends, Emmett tried to force as much of his true feelings into it as possible: _just friends_. Sure, kissing a guy is one thing – kissing a kid is another thing – giving them LSD for a science experiment is another but sex... sex was somewhere he didn't want to go. Not with Marty, not with him in this state, not with no real feeling behind it. Emmett felt that mating rituals should be with a couple who loved each other and not love in the way Emmett felt about Marty, which was more of a kinship. He didn't like that whole "friends with benefits" idea. He thought it was crude and inappropriate and very foolish – with no respect for one another.

As they held each other and Emmett patted Marty's hair, Emmett was reminded of one time he had almost lost his virginity a few years after he was fired from the University.

He had been spending an evening alone (one of many) in his house and thought, hey, maybe it was about time he got himself a little something-something. He pulled open the Playboy magazine for a moment, stared at the pictures contemplating, wondering if it was worth it, then threw it down and picked up the phone book, looking for the number for a call girl or whore someplace in Hill Valley.

He never really caught the girl's name over the phone. When she knocked on the door and Emmett let her inside, he grinned nervously around his garage and tried to be friendly.

'Hope you don't mind, it's a bit of a mess.'

'Nah, it's cool. I like mess,' the girl fluttered her mascara-painted eyelashes and Emmett gulped, suddenly feeling an awful pit in his stomach at the suggestive look she gave him, her eyes scanning the man's body with evident eagerness. 'So, you gonna pay?'

'Uh, sure,' Emmett muttered and he pulled his wallet out of his coat and pulled out a fifty, handing it to the girl who slipped it in her denim jacket. She pulled off the jacket which revealed a low-cut sexy black dress, overwhelming Doctor Brown and making his face flush.

'Ready?' she asked.

'Uh, sure,' he repeated, thinking how he bet she thought he was a real weirdo.

He chuckled to himself, well, she would be right, wouldn't she?

'So what do you do, Emmett?' she rolled his name over her tongue, wrapping her arm around the man's neck and pulling her beautifully sculpted body up against him. 'What's your job?'

She planted a kiss on Emmett's cheek and he pulled away and then, giving a small laugh, guided her over to his bed. The girl sat down, staring at the man from under her long brown hair. Boy, she was pretty, Emmett thought, then stared at her eye shadow and lipstick. It was a bit heavy for his tastes but she still had looks.

'I'm a scientist,' he explained. 'A bit of an inventor, really.'

'Ooh, a scientist,' she crooned, pulling herself across the bed to sit up next to the inventor and push his hair away from his big, brown eyes. 'So, Mr Scientist, tell me about my future.'

Emmett let out a laugh. 'Now, now, you're thinking of astrology. I'm not _that_ kind of scientist.'

'Uh, okay, whatever,' the girl shrugged, and she pressed her arms against her body in a way which accentuated her cleavage. Emmett's eyes darted downwards then into his head, feeling kind of embarrassed to ogle at her like that. 'So... ready to rock and roll?'

'Rock and... uh...' Emmett mumbled as the girl drew steadily nearer, her red lips drawing closer and closer, and Emmett's face moving automatically backwards. He couldn't stop himself, it was like instinct, like they were the same ends of a magnet trying to meet, but never managing it. The girl stopped.

'Don't be nervous,' she whispered, holding Emmett's face in her hands and stroking his sideburns, slowly bringing her head towards him. 'Come on, Emmett. You're paying me, remember?' Emmett's mouth quirked into a blank grin and she looked at him, unimpressed. Then she went to undo his trousers and Emmett jolted up into a standing position. Her forehead was knitted with frustration. 'What's wrong with you?'

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' the scientist blabbed, slightly confused and yet not confused at all, 'I'm not used to this, that's all. I don't think-'

'Is it me?' she demanded. 'Am I not pretty? Don't you find me attractive?'

'No, no, it's not that, you're quite, uh, pretty, I just-'

'Oh my god, you're _gay_ aren't you?' she cried, jumping up and tears welling in her eyes. 'You're really gay and you've got some lover and you love him and you're unsure and you're using _me_ to make sure you're sure and you're not sure!'

Emmett furrowed his eyebrows, wondering where that had come from. 'I'm not gay! If you'd just-'

'Kiss me then,' the girl pushed, and she walked up to him and shut her eyes, her lips opened slightly, waiting for him to make his move. 'Go on. You can do it.'

Emmett's eyes flitted from her eyes to her lips and he sighed, his arms resting pathetically at his sides. He brought his hand up to touch the girl's make-up-ed face and frowned. 'I'm sorry. I guess I thought I was ready for this – that I wanted this. I suppose I was wrong...' he felt guilty, like he had completely wasted her time. He sighed again and forced himself to speak. 'You seem upset, thought, is there something bothering you?' He figured if he could help her this way, maybe she wouldn't mind his lack of physical stimulation. 'Is there a way I can help? Do you want to talk about it?'

The girl opened her eyes and she gasped, a tear trickled down her cheek. Emmett smiled reassuringly at her and after her mouth opened and closed several times, she nodded and Emmett brought made her sit on his bed and went to make her a cup of tea. He handed the mug to her and she sipped at it, smiling wryly before sniffing and telling him her story.

Apparently, her boyfriend left her for another man and told her that he was just using her to figure out his feelings towards women. He took all her money and left her alone and she was forced to take up the job of a call girl. 'This was actually my first night out.' She gave Emmett a small smile. 'You know, I'm kind of glad you're so nice. Uh, you don't mind if I keep the money do you? Just...'

'Nah,' Emmett looked kindly at her and she patted his leg in appreciation. She finished her cup of tea and placed it on the table.

'Do you still want me to...' the girl said, motioning with her hands. 'Are you sure you're not ready? You're awful nice and all, I wouldn't want to take your money and leave without doing you a service.'

'You've done me plenty a service. Don't worry. You helped me realize what it is I really want – a proper, substantial relationship. One where physical relations occur with trust and respect for the other – not that I don't trust you,' Emmett added, 'you've proved to be a very kind and sweet girl, especially to an old codger like me. But...' Emmett finished lamely and gave her a tight smile, getting up and handing her her denim jacket. 'Do you want me to call a taxi?'

'Yes, thank you,' she nodded, pulling the jacket over her shoulders. 'It's been a pleasure, Emmett.'

And she kissed him on the cheek and waited by the door until the taxi arrived and they waved goodbye. Emmett never saw her again. He never even caught her name. Emmett's vision came to a finish and his eyes slid back into focus, his arms still around Marty who was very warm. He recollected his thoughts.

Despite what Marty was experiencing with the hallucinogen, he summarized, Emmett still respected him because he knew what Marty was doing was practically only because of the LSD. It was an accident, it...

'Oh shit,' said Emmett suddenly, and he jumped to his feet, staring wildly around the room, Marty's arms falling to his sides.

'What?' Marty demanded, his pupils still wide and black holes. 'What's the matter, Doc?'

Emmett felt uncomfortable looking into Marty's eyes so he picked up the glass and rushed to the sink, washing it thoroughly and filling it with clear, healthy water. Marty wasn't in a normal state of mind, so Emmett, despite Marty's apparent wishes, was taking advantage of him. It was like a drunk person couldn't properly consent to sex. He was astonished he didn't realize it before.

'I've taken advantage of you, that's what,' Emmett yelled, the world crashing around him and crumbling into a pile of horse shit. 'Damn!'

'Hey, Doc,' Marty said casually, getting off the bed, walking steadily towards him. 'No, you didn't. Just calm down and everything will be fine.'

'Of course, you say that _now_,' Emmett replied, and he pushed the water glass into Marty's hand. 'Drink it. It'll help dilute your blood stream.'

'N-no.'

'What?'

'I said no, Doc.' Marty stammered and he pushed the glass back into Emmett's hands. 'You drink it. You need it.'

'No, _you_ need it,' Emmett insisted and he held the glass out for Marty to drink. Marty took the glass in his hands and, with a final look towards him, drunk it. Once he finished he stared at the glass blankly, then it slid out of his hand and shattered on the floor.

'Marty?'

'Doc,' Marty slurred dozily, smiling at Dr. Brown wryly. 'I can't believe you gave LSD to your students...'

Then he collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

Emmett stared in amazement. He hoped to god he wasn't dead. Oh god, what if he _was_ dead? Emmett kicked the glass out of the way knelt over the boy, pressing his fingers to Marty's neck. _No pulse ._'Great Scott...'

There was a knock at the front door and a yell from outside.

'_Doctor Emmett L Brown, open up or we'll have to force entry!'_

Emmett's mouth twitched and his eyes filled with tears, hoping that whoever it was at the door had a paramedic with them. When he opened the door, handcuffs were clicked around his wrists and he looked up into the faces of a few policemen and Mr. Strickland who stared at him with a satisfied I've-caught-you look. Emmett wanted to scream and protest, yell that Marty needed help! But then Strickland's eyes swivelled down to rest at a spot on Emmett's jugular making the Doc lost for words, his capture's eyes filled with disbelief as he spoke.

'Is that a hickey on your neck, Doctor Brown?'

*

**END OF PART ONE**


	11. Chapter 11

**PART TWO**

Marty McFly lay in the hospital bed, his mind drifting and floating away in a world well away from earth; someplace blissful. But as he slowly regained consciousness, just like an drowning person breaking the water and getting that first and well needed painful gulp of oxygen, he felt a pressure against his chest and forehead, like somebody had tried pulling his lungs and brain out of his body like stealing a can out of a vending machine.

He groaned and sank deeper into the white pillows and mattress, his eyes squinting open, rays of lights burning his eyelids. He clamped them shut and then his eyelids fluttered, slowly becoming aware of where he was. His eyes opened wide and he scanned the room for a familiar face but saw nobody. He groaned at the pain in his chest and forehead, wondering what on earth happened that had gotten him in such a mess.

The door pushed open and Marty sat up as a doctor wearing a blue suit strolled. He picked a clipboard out of a slot at the end of his bed, stared at the first page, flipped it over, and clicked his tongue, writing something on the front page before putting it back.

He gave Marty a small smile, like he knew Marty's expression all to well to be bothered by it. 'Mr McFly, it's good to see you awake.'

'Uh, yeah... something like that,' grumbled Marty grumbled before stretching his arms and yawning, wincing at a bruise on his arm. 'What happened to me? Did I fall over or something?'

'You had a... bad trip, yes,' the doctor said mildly and he chuckled at his own little joke. Marty struggled to remember and the doctor moved to sit at the side of his bed. 'Mr McFly, do you remember who Doctor Emmett Brown is?'

'The Doc?' said Marty, brightening. 'Yeah, of course I do!'

'Well, Mr Emmett Brown has been charged with possession, child abuse and-'

'What? Why? What'd he do to a kid?'

'He did to _you_,' the doctor corrected sternly, peering at Marty over his horn-rimmed glasses. He took them off and put them into his pocket before explained to Marty what happened the day before; how Emmett had spiked his glass of water and how Mr McFly's behaviour lead to Doctor Brown taking advantage of him and physically molesting him. He had been under illegal possession of a hallucinogen named LSD for over twenty years and he used his final little baggie on Mr McFly.

'No, but,' the teenager said. 'The Doc wouldn't do that to me, he wouldn't physically... what is the word you used; _molest_? He's not that kind of guy. Actually, you know this has-'

Marty stopped short. How could he say it had happened before? It had happened before in 1967, but he couldn't say that without giving away information about the Time Machine and he couldn't lie about being somewhere he wasn't because he didn't have any evidence.

'Doctor Emmett Brown has already been sentenced to jail for-'

'What?' Marty shouted, throwing off the sheets and jumping out of bed, ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest. 'No! That can't be right! No, they need to trial him again, they need to do it again, I'll defend myself. He can't be in jail,' Marty grit his teeth together and tears welled in his eyes. 'He's a good man. He's a good friend. He's a good _scientist_. You _can't_ keep him there.'

'It's clear you're upset,' the doctor said, getting to his feet and pushing his glasses up his nose and staring down at Marty. 'But I'm afraid all evidence points to Mr Brown's verdict. If you like you could visit him... it's clear the loss is hard on you, but I'm sure, if you remembered everything that happened, you wouldn't be friends with that man, especially after what he did to you.'

'Well, I know what happened, you told me –'

'It's what evidence shows. Mr Brown hadn't said anything to defend himself or explain what actually happened, in fact, he hasn't said a word,' the doctor said solemnly. 'You'd think he was a _mute_.'

Marty stared at the marble floor, his heart thumping against his chest. The doctor put a hand on his shoulder and motioned towards the bed. 'If you don't mind laying down whilst I take a blood test... If your blood shows up clean, I'll let you go home.'

Marty didn't say anything as he lay himself down on the bed and the doctor swabbed his arm and took out some blood. Pictures and sounds and feelings gushed into his head, though, they were mere flashes, floating in and out of his head. He remembered a damp cloth being pressed against his forehead, a tap of his finger against the Doc, his hands locking his mentor's hands behind his back (Marty shuddered) and he and the Doc _kissing_ and the scientist kissing back, Marty's lips against the Doc's neck which was beating a struggling warmth. He remembered a few flashes of light and colour from the LSD and he remembered a few sounds, like glass smashing and the Doc's voice and a haggard breathing while they kissed.

_'Marty? Marty? Can you hear me?'_ They were strange echoes, like from far away. _'Your pulse is beating at an unnaturally fast speed.' _More flashes and a grim smile from the Doc. '_I'm stating the facts. That's what scientists do.'_ The steady breath of a request. _'Think about Jennifer.' _A dark blunder of truth voiced by his mentor in a gravelly voice. _'The problem is constant.'_ A cold feeling in his hands as he held a frosty glass in his hands._ 'It'll help dilute your blood stream.'_ And a sound mixed with fright and alarm and self-hatred: a screeching yell. _'I've taken advantage of you, that's what.'_

The voice of his best friend filled his head and it was interrupted by hearing his own voice as he leaned over the Doc's back, his hands held tight behind his back and whispered with a hot breath in his ear. _'Sorry, Doc, I don't mean to hurt you, I just want to kiss you.'_

Marty cringed. He never knew he could say anything so outright. Marty wondered how uncomfortable he had made the Doc feel as the doctor disappeared to check his blood into a computer. Marty sensed the Doc had been uncomfortable until a certain point where he seemed to have given up resisting - maybe Marty had been that forceful. Marty groaned into his hand and stared, flabbergasted at the ceiling.

_Child abuse? _

Did they really consider him a _child_? He was almost _eighteen_! Marty sighed and rolled over. The Doc was in jail now. _How long, though?_ He had interrupted the doctor before he got a reply. Marty couldn't erase the incredible feeling of guilt out of his stomach but he reasoned, it's not like he could control himself. When drugs mess with your brain you were disconnected and couldn't properly feel or think about things, it was like you were watching from a third person perspective, even though you were looking through your own eyes. It was a weird feeling.

Did he want that? Did he really want to do that stuff to the Doc?

Maybe he did, really, really deep down, buried underneath his feelings for Jennifer and _other_ girls... maybe the LSD just pulled it out for show?

When the doctor came back and told Marty his blood was clean, Marty walked straight out of the hospital and into the morning air.

Hill Valley didn't feel the same without the Doc, Marty thought sadly, as he passed the Doc's house which had a roll of police tape around it. He remembered that he was going to see Jennifer and tell her about the weird LSD event and his confused feelings about the Doc but now he just felt depressed. He wanted to see the Doc, not Jennifer.

He walked down an empty street and turned a corner. He felt empty and numb - like he left half of himself at the hospital. He saw the clock tower in view and he approached it and sat on the ledge where he and Jennifer had been before he even knew the DeLorean existed... Marty sat up. The DeLorean!

Marty could hardly contain his excitement: he could go back in time to stop the Doc giving Marty the drugs. Marty suddenly frowned. No, that wouldn't work. The Doc always warned him against time paradoxes...

Marty decided he'd talk to the Doc about it. Maybe there was a way he could do it, make it so he could fix the past, make it so none of it ever happened.

Marty was just getting up when he heard a familiar shout from behind him. He spun around and saw the beautiful brunette running towards him. 'Marty!'

'Jennifer!' Marty called and he jumped over the ledge and pulled her into his arms. 'Oh, Jennifer...' he said the first thing that popped into his head, 'Thank god you're all right.'

'Me?' demanded Jennifer. 'I'm _fine_ – of course I'm fine. I'm worried about you!' she rested her hands on his chest. 'Are you okay? I heard what happened. Oh, Marty, I knew there was something up with the Doc, I knew there was. I knew he'd-'

'Is that what everyone's saying?' Marty demanded hotly, unaware that he had so much rage built up in side of him - _and_ that he was throwing it at _Jennifer_. But she deserves it, a small voice inside him said. She deserves it. He continued rashly, 'That they knew this was going to happen. That they knew he was a child _abuser_ and _molester_, that he was _bound_ to go cuckoo and force drugs down somebody's throat?'

'Marty,' Jennifer breathed, her large eyes staring into his own. 'Marty, you're being so defensive... I don't understand why – I mean - he did horrible things to you.'

'Part of it was my fault though, Jen,' Marty sighed, shaking his head and sitting back down against the ledge, staring up at the clock tower, remembering the Doc dangling from it back in 1955. 'Doc's my friend and I don't think he had bad intentions. I mean,' Marty turned to Jennifer and held her face in his hands. She looked pained and he sighed. She must be so worried, he thought. 'Jennifer I need to talk to you about something... One time the Doc had some... he had some LSD smoke hanging around his garage once... _on accident_,' Marty added, thinking that lying would probably go down better than telling the entire truth. 'He didn't realize what it would do... _to me_.' Marty continued and he was avoiding Jennifer's eye now, staring at the pavement despite Jennifer's attempts to get him to look at her. 'Thing is, I reacted the same way I did yesterday... only it wasn't as bad. I,' Marty gulped. 'I _kissed_ him Jen. I _kissed_ him and for Christ sake's, I think I _liked_ it,' Jennifer didn't move a muscle, just continued to stare at him with those big worried eyes. 'Jennifer, this is probably hard for you to hear, but I did kiss him and when that smoke got to my head, I wanted the Doc. I wanted to _do_ things to him.' He didn't dare say what kind of things and Jennifer was stroking his hair now, listening like a protective mother. 'I wanted him – I felt _attracted_ to him - more so than I have anybody in my entire life. I went _crazy_, Jennifer,' he finished. 'And last night, it happened again, only the Doc wuh-wanted to see if my reaction was purely because of the fumes or if I ack-actually had feelings for him. _I think_. He was conducting a _science experiment_ and it went out of hand.'

A car passed them and honked loudly, mockingly. Marty spun around and watched the red Ferrari pass with a fierce glare. He was shaking now, shaking with anger at everything, at Hill Valley for not having the decency to see that it was all a horrible accident, at Jennifer for not reacting at –

'Oh, Marty,' Jennifer sighed, and she cupped his face in her hand. 'I'm sorry.'

Then Jennifer lifted her hand back, her lip trembling, and she smacked him hard across the face. The slap stung Marty's cheek and he felt tears fill his eyes, but not because it hurt, but because it shocked his body into reacting that way, it shocked his body into showing its true colours, because, in truth, he felt like exploding then, like crying. He was stunned though not at all surprised.

Jennifer and Marty stared at each other, the teenage boy's face a mess, his eyes glowing red and his lip trembling as he struggled to keep his voice calm and not lose control. The girl bit her lip, gasping a shudder of air, and then in one moment, they flung their arms around each other and kissed lightly on the lips before wrapping their arms tight around each other, their bodies shaking in hormonal rage, hiding their faces from each other, sniffing into their shoulders. The winter cold pinched their cheeks.

'Marty McFly,' Jennifer's voice cracked. ' You- you-'

'I know you probably don't want to hear it Jen, but it's true what happened,' he decided he might as well explain himself. 'It's true how I acted. I couldn't _control_ myself,' his voice shook and smothered the word "control" as if the concept of control wasn't even possible in those moments with the Doc. 'None of this would of happened if I hadn't taken the inhalation of those fumes so _strangely_.' They stood for a few minutes, hot tears streaming down their faces, before pulling apart, wiping their faces on their sleeves and grinning gingerly at each other. 'What do you want to do, Jen?' Marty asked suddenly and Jennifer held out her hand and clamped onto Marty's cold on.

'I want to spend some time with you,' she said simply, forcing a smile across her cracked lips. 'What do you want to do?'

Marty stared down the street and squeezed his girlfriend's hand. 'I want to see the Doc.'

*

'Are you a relative?' the receptionist asked with a surely stare. Marty groaned.

'No. It's me, Marty McFly. I was involved with the... The Doc's my friend, just tell him I'm here – trust me, he'll want to see me.'

The black receptionist gave Jennifer a cold eye. 'What's she here for then?'

'I'm... er...'

'She's moral support,' said Marty, looking at her encouragingly. 'I mean, she doesn't have to come talk to him with me, but... Well, she can hang around, right?'

'Sure,' the black woman said, getting out of her chair and straightening her uniform. 'If hanging around a joint is her thing.'

Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun and as she got out from her desk, she pulled a circle of keys out of a desk draw and slammed it shut, heading towards a iron door next to the reception desk with a warning stamped across it. She lifted the key up towards the light and picked out a key to open the door. She turned to Marty as she approached him and flapped her hand.

'You just wait in here whilst I go see if Mr Brown would like to talk to you, okay?'

'Ah, sure,' Marty said, plastering a big, wide grin across his face. He strolled across the stone floor and sat on a plastic chair with a few slabs sliced off it. Jennifer sat on his lap and ran her fingers through his hair. Marty watched the door shut and waited.

'You nervous?'

Marty couldn't lie.

'A little.'

'There's nothing to worry about, Marty. He'll be happy to see you and you'll both be able to talk and laugh and it'll be like he was never in jail. I mean, what difference does being in jail make if you keep on visiting him?' She had said the wrong thing, she realized, and she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing his cheek into her blouse. Marty didn't say anything. 'Oh, Marty. You really love the Doc, don't you?'

Marty chuckled under his breath.

'You know what I mean,' Jennifer added and Marty peered up at her, wrapping an arm around her waist and patting her tummy. As he did so, Jennifer twitched and Marty stared at her.

'What's wrong?'

'Eh, stomach ache, I think,' Jennifer mumbled and Marty laughed. It echoed off the walls.

'Sure, thing, Jen. A _stomach_ ache.'

She furrowed her eyebrows and pushed herself off Marty. 'Excuse me, I think I know when I have a _stomach ache_ and when I have _cramps_!'

Marty stood, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. 'I'm sorry, Jen, I couldn't help myself.' He pulled on her hand to bring her back to the seat and Jennifer looked reproachfully at him before reluctantly sitting on the chair next to him and leaning against his shoulder. 'You know we're both a bit nervous.'

'A bit,' Jennifer said in a small voice.

'Yeah, well, I am nervous about seeing the Doc you know. I mean, I can't remember absolutely everything from yesterday but from what I can remember, well, it might be just a little bit... _awkward_,' Marty admitted, and then he frowned. 'Besides, he's in the joint. I don't know how he's coping... I mean, maybe he's worried about Einstein. I mean, what happened to the dog? Is he at the pound or something?'

'The pound. I heard on the radio. Probably until Doc gets out or somebody takes care of him for awhile.'

'Yeah, maybe. You know, Jennifer...' Marty turned to his girlfriend. 'I really appreciate you coming along, and I appreciate that you're so...' Marty faltered. 'Well, I'm glad you're here... with me.'

Jennifer gave him a small smile and a loud clang made them both jump up. The receptionist was back and her face was completely blank, a skilful mask. Marty rushed forward, hope jumping out of his chest, thinking the Doc was finally going to see him and he was finally be able to ask the Doc about the DeLorean and what to do and how he was going to help him. He was going to see the Doc!

'So what's the deal?' asked Marty. 'Can I go see him?'

'No,' the receptionist said as she placed the keys back in the draw and looked up with her hands together like she was a school teacher. 'He doesn't want to see you.'

'What?' Marty said, stunned, letting go of Jennifer's hand. 'Are you sure? Did you say my name was _Marty_ McFly?'

'I sure did, Mr McFly, and he shook his head and told me no.' She pointed her finger towards the door behind them. 'The door's that way, Mr McFly. If you and your girlfriend would let yourself out...'


	12. Chapter 12

Doctor Emmett Brown was back in the joint. Back in jail. Back in the dingy, slimy, cold cell. The professor snorted a humorless laugh. After he was thrown inside by a few security guards and the bars had slammed shut, he had ran towards the horizontal black metal and peered out with wide eyes. One of the security guards spat in his face.

His appearance had disrupted the other men in cells and they screeched and cried and shook their bars like monkeys at a zoo.

So uncivilized, Emmett thought morose fully, wiping his face on the dirty rag of a blanket and sitting on top of it, leaning against the wall. He massaged his wrists where he had been jerked around in those handcuffs, subject to the hollers, shouts, hateful and frightful stares from the townsfolk of Hill Valley. He had been questioned and tormented by the police but he had kept his mouth firmly shut. They would figure out all they needed to know from the evidence at his house, Emmett thought. He wasn't going to deny what they found... because it was all true.

He had given Marty drugs. Yes.

He had also taken advantage of him. That too. And although the words "child molester" and "child abuser" were harsh ones, they were also quite accurate and well-deserved. Emmett had never hated himself more in his life, never had he done anything so foolish. Never had he more deserved to be thrown into jail.

The last time it happened was when his family Manor had burnt down. The police thought he had burnt it down himself (he was broke) and didn't want him running away from the city when he couldn't get the insurance. That time, Emmett had spoken in his defence and won, the teenagers being caught for trashing his house and then setting it alight. Emmett didn't look into their faces as they passed him in court, as they glared at him, muttering and whispering words which all amounted to one thing, one thing he had heard plenty of times in his life.

Dog murderer was one. Psycho, skitzo, paranoid, crackpot, druggie, weirdo, cuckoo, crazy, were others. All in all, he had heard enough rumors in his life to write a book about it. But it'd be a waste of paper.

Emmett rubbed his neck where the bruising was, where that _hickey_ was. A painful reminder of what he had done to Marty, what he had let him do. Doctor Emmett Brown was ashamed of himself as a human being.

Thing was, Emmett thought, with being stuck in a place like this... Emmett looked around at the cracked mirror, the small sink with chips off the side and the mangy; sore-excuse for a bed and toilet... was that you were bound to think about the worse of things.

'Is it true you killed ya dog?' a skinny man with bad stubble shouted across the bars. Emmett looked at him, then turned away and ignored him.

Emmett's first dog, Cornipus, had become sick and Emmett had brought him to the vet to be put down. His second dog, Newton, was brutally murdered by one of the teenagers who burnt his house.

He had been walking Newton one night, admiring the wide, beaming moon and the reserved tapping his shoes made against the pavement. It was a peaceful night and Emmett felt content as he strode down past Burger King and down the left, then up around the back of his house in a dark street with looming trees. Tonight, the trees shivered and scratched each other in the wind and Emmett pulled his jacket closer around himself. 'It's a bit cold don't you think, Newton?'

Newton didn't answer and kept trotting along, its tail waving high in the air like a flag. It was October 23, 1973, and rumours had already spread around town about how he had drugged his class for a science experiment. A few people had knocked on his door after that, asking if he had any LSD left but Emmett had frowned, shook his head and shut the door in their faces with a sharp, 'No.'

He had also gotten some hate-letters from the parents of the students and he read every one of them and burned them in the fire, saying in a gruff tone, that at least he got free fire fuel.

As he stopped to admire the scuffling of the trees, Newton sitting on the pavement, wagging his tail and lolling his tongue, Doctor Brown heard some footsteps behind him, the kind of footsteps with a purpose, the kind of a stalker. Masking his face of fear, he strode along at a fast pace, his eyes darting left and right as if he could see behind him.

'Doctor Brown?' the voice said with the harsh tone of a man.

'I don't know any Doctor Brown,' Emmett lied, barely looking over his shoulder. 'I'll keep a look out for him though. Goodnight.'

'No. _You're_ Doc Brown.'

Emmett ignored him and quickened his pace, knowing that his house was only a few hundred meters away and that if he ran quick enough, maybe he could get there in time. As he smartened himself and walked a little faster, he tripped over a tree root. As he cursed his clumsiness, there was a click behind him and a shove of something in the square of his back.

Emmett gulped. That was the sound of a gun loading.

'Get up, Doctor Brown. I don't _appreciate_ a liar.'

His arms shaking, he stood, but didn't lift his arms over his head. Newton gave a whine and Emmett whispered out of the corner of his mouth. 'Don't worry, Newton.'

'Newton, eh? That's a pretty neat name for a dog,' said the voice from behind him, no doubt staring at Newton with a hungry glare. 'Isaac Newton, right?'

Emmett was intrigued (as much as you can by somebody threatening to kill you). 'Do I know you?'

'No,' the man said gruffly, adjusting his hold on the gun and pressing it harder into Emmett's spine. 'But, you know what I would like... some of that money you've got.'

'I don't have any money,' Emmett growled. 'I'm broke. Surely you've read the papers?'

'Yeah, but they're not right are they? I know you've got some money somewhere... Come on, old man, fess up and hand it over.'

Emmett was silent. And then, in a mighty crack of self-defense, he spun around and hammered the man in the jaw. He didn't stop to look what happened because he was already running. The man gave a roar and Emmett panted and stared down at Newton with a worried face. The dog seemed undisturbed, completely unaware anything was wrong; his tail was still wagging and he sprinted at his side like it was some kind of race.

_Bang!_

Emmett tumbled over and his face grazed the pavement as a sharp pain shot through and paralysed his left leg. He clutched the back of his thigh and groaned, a hot sticky substance seeping into his hand. It could only be blood. Doctor Brown grit his teeth together as he lay on the ground in pain and Newton approached him and licked his face like he was saying 'don't worry, we can race another time.'

He heard the young adult approaching behind him and felt the vibrations numb his face. 'Where's the money, old man?'

Emmett didn't answer. He hoped he would go away. He didn't have any money. He told the pavement this and there was a snort of laughter behind him and a 'yeah right.'

There was a crunch and the man's foot was on Emmett's hand. The pain was excruciating! He could have sworn a few bones had broken. Emmett yelped and let go of Newton's leash, the boot coming down on it a second later so Newton couldn't escape. The disturbed teenager bent down, his face masked from the lamppost behind him as he whispered. 'Are you going to tell me?'

Emmett saw him point the revolver at Newton's happy, care free face and his insides crawled. He shoots a man in the leg and threatens to kill his dog. But would he actually do it? Emmett wasn't game enough to try, but he really didn't have any money. Why wouldn't he understand that? Was he mentally _challenged_?

'I don't have any money,' he told the shadowed face, swallowing breath in between speech like a precious Elixir. 'I don't have anything, and if you had any sense human decency, you'd-'

_Bang!_

Emmett lost his words in his throat and his mind went blank as the finger pulled the trigger and specs of blood splattered the ground and Emmett's face. His eyes became empty slots and his heart stamped on his chest, and more blood seeped in between his fingers, holding his wound steady. Newton's body was nothing more than a body now; a corpse. And the man laughed, _laughed_!

Newton's brains were scattered against the pavement and none saw but the rustling trees, everybody safe in their houses, comforted by the chirring hum of their indoor heating. The man picked Newton up by the scruff of his tiny, fluffy neck and carried him away. Emmett's hands groped the footpath and he pushed himself up, shaking as he lifted himself to his feet and almost fell over again when he tried to follow the man with the blue leash tracing blood across the ground.

His jaw clamped together and his eyes were wide and working furiously in their sockets, trying to see more than black dots and the trail of red.

The man rounded left at the end of the street and as Emmett reached it after two minutes limping and jumping and dragging his leg across the ground. Then he heard the sound again.

_Bang!_

He tipped over some trashcans as he rounded the corner, trying to keep himself upright and and using the wooden fence as support as he rounded his side street. The man was nowhere in sight, but, out from a pile of leaves, Emmett saw the blue leash in the moonlight.

A gasp stifled in his chest, he staggered forward and collapsed onto the ground, his uninjured hand clasping tight around the blue leash, slowly pulling it out like a clown with its coloured handkerchief chain, and watching, round eyed as a tiny brown fluff ball rolled out in front of him.

Emmett smelt the blood mixed with wet leaves and he was almost sick. A car park was nearby and although Hill Valley was a small town, he was amazed nobody had even passed him, no cars had gone past, nobody had witnessed...

Emmett's fingers touched the top of Newton's head and he patted it, blood dripping out the other side, its jaw gaping open like it was grinning. Emmett felt his gag reflex working and he turned his head in a wave of nausea and collapsed onto the cold ground, his leg failing him completely. He didn't know how long he lay there, but he couldn't get the pictures out of his head, of that psychopath, of the feeling of the gun in his back, the sound of gunshot and the picture as his dog's brain was penetrated with a bullet which exploded in its head and sent blood gushing out of its ears and the roof of its mouth.

Humanity can be so cruel, he thought, and his mouth twitched, but it's not like I didn't know that before...

As a police car stopped in front of him and the head lights blinded him, a police officer stepped out.

'Holy shit,' said a woman. 'They were right about gunfire... What a mess... Call a paramedic, will you, Sheryl?'

It was 9:42 pm at night, Emmett estimated as he sat in that dingy cell and as he was reminded of the death of his pet dogs, he remembered Einstein and hoped somebody had remembered to take care of him. Emmett rolled off the wall and lay in the bed, his feet dangling off the end it was that small. He held his face in exhaustion, thinking he really ought to get to sleep.

'Lights out at ten, folks,' said a voice and the lights of every cell shut off, except a line of flurocense at the end of each hall. So it was ten o'clock, Emmett thought. He remembered for a moment he and Marty's time together that afternoon, and wondered how Marty was and if he had recovered, if he remembered. As Emmett touched the hickey on his neck again and then his lip, he remembered feeling a small pleasure at being so physically intimate with somebody, even if it was somebody he was friends with.

As this thought reached his mind, he scowled and threw the holed sheet over his body, despising himself for even thinking it.


	13. Chapter 13

'I'm going back again,' Marty said as he and Jennifer walked away from Hill Valley's Jail. 'I'm going back later today and I'm going to-'

'Get the Doc to talk to you?' Jennifer repeated as they walked hand in hand down the street to their spot in front of the Clock Tower. 'Marty, I know you mean well, but the Doc said he didn't want to talk to you.'

'I bet he hates himself for what he did,' Marty continued. 'That's probably why he doesn't want to talk to me. He feels so bad because of what he did.'

'He has reason to,' Jennifer crooned, patting him on the thigh. 'Don't worry, Marty, he'll come round. Just give him time.'

Marty considered jumping into the DeLorean and driving a few days into the future to make time go faster, but he knew, with a sad tinge, that the Doc wouldn't approve. Marty sighed.

'I miss him.'

'Well, Marty, do you know what I think you should do? I think you should go home and let your family know you're okay. You've been out of the hospital a few hours and I'm sure they're worried about you. You should be finding other things to do until the Doc feels ready to talk to you again.'

Marty knew she was right, so they walked to his house, talking and mumbling small words to each other and forcing smiles at people who stared as Marty went past, no doubt having heard about what happened with him and the Doc. Somebody even called "faggot" out to him as he arrived at the Lyons Estates blocks, but he laughed and yelled back. 'If you don't mind shutting up, I'd really appreciate it. You're annoying my girlfriend!'

*

His family, or, at least, those who were home (was all but Dave) gathered around him and Linda shoved a bowl of ice cream in his hand, Mom gave him a big hug and told him to go straight to bed and his Dad patted him on the back and said, 'Hang in there, son.'

Not one of them mentioned Doc Brown and Marty had a feeling they silently disapproved of him but didn't want to let him know because it'd hurt his feelings. Marty ate the bowl of ice cream quickly, feeding some to Jennifer in the living room and then they went up to his bedroom. Marty took the leftover items from his and Jen's trip and threw them under his bed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him, smelling her hair as they sat on the bed.

'You're just as beautiful as ever,' he complimented and Jennifer kissed him gently on the lips.

'Not as much as you, tiger.'

Tiger? Marty thought. That reminded him of something...

'Hey, Jen,' the boy began, cupping his girl's face in his hand and tilting her head towards him. 'Do you remember that birthday party you had when you were thirteen?'

'Hmm... You were fourteen, weren't you?'

'You bet I was. It was at the fair, remember? You decided to hold your birthday party on that day just so you could have the most amount of people turning up?' Marty remembered, laughing. 'They had the whole town covered in streamers and they had stalls out in front of the clock tower...'

'They had face-painting...' Jennifer continued, a smile creeping across her face as she stared across his room at the Huey and the News poster. 'They painted a flower on my face.' She traced a line on her right cheek and Marty kissed her cheek where the pink flower had been.

'You forced me to get a tiger face painted on me,' Marty said, remembering the uncomfortable chill the orange and yellow paint had on his skin. Marty scratched his face with an embarrassed grin. 'Remember?'

'Of course I do. You looked adorable,' Jennifer said, a downright lie and she snorted into her hand, laughing. 'And I didn't make you take it off the entire day!'

'Yeah, my parents have the pictures to prove it.'

They chuckled as they remembered and collected moments from the fair. There was a speech by Major Goldie Wilson before it started and then there were clowns and men on stilts and people selling things like old guitars, foreign food and there were lots of little craft shops and games. Marty even remembered bumping into the Doc whilst Jennifer played on the jumping castle, squealing and yelling at how she was too old for this and how her earring was going to pop it and stuff. A few of her girlfriends tackled her to the inflated floor and Marty turned, looking around, wanting more than anything to get rid of the tiger paint - but he wasn't allowed. He put his hand in the pockets of his jeans and looked around. Then he spotted the Doc. He had already been working for the Doc for a year now, so they had become quite close; closer than he had ever expected, anyway. The Doc spotted him and with a rare grin for social events, approached him, his straw hat plastered over his head, keeping his wild hair tame.

'Marty!' he beamed and Marty ran up to him, not caring that he wore tiger face paint. The Doc stared over his face and his mouth twitched. 'Nice, er...'

'Tiger face paint,' Marty screwed up his face, he pointed over his shoulder. 'Jennifer wanted me to keep it on.'

'She's that girl you like, right?' Doc asked, squinting into the jumping castle which looked like it was being brutally attacked by a pair of bulls. 'She's the one with the brown hair?'

'With the flower paint on her face, yeah, that's her, but _shh_! She might hear you.'

'Please, Marty, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. She obviously likes you.'

'How do you know?'

'She's making you keep face-paint on all day,' the Doc said dryly with a small smile. 'Now, I may not be an expert at the ways of women, but did you choose such a beast to cover your face?'

'Er... No. Jen said-'

'Precisely!' the Doc exclaimed, holding his hat down in case a gust of wind blew it away. They were almost yelling over the sound of kids screaming and general Hill Valley excitement. 'That proves my theory,' Marty grinned – Doc was all about theories. 'She thinks - - - Oh! She's coming down. What do I do?'

The Doc looked honestly worried and concerned and Marty looked around and beamed towards Jennifer as she jumped off the castle and pulled her shoes back on, not caring if she flashed the crowd with her tiny skirt.

'I could introduce you, if you want,' Marty suggested, 'I mean-'

'Oh, no, no, no, no. No, Marty, that's not necessary. Introduce me another time - when you're actually going out,' he gave Marty a wink and smirk, whispering in his ear before he strolled away. 'Go get her, tiger.'

'Wait,' Jennifer paused and held her hand up over Marty's mouth. 'He actually told you that?'

Her face flushed pink and Marty nodded. 'Yeah, sure, why not? You know, he was right.'

Jennifer didn't smile though, in fact, she held her hand over her mouth, her face paling.

'Jen?' Marty asked, his eyebrows knitting together. 'Are you okay?'

But Jennifer had already sprinted out of the room, the door ricocheting off the wall behind her. Marty walked into the doorway as he heard the bathroom door shut and Linda yell from inside. A few minutes passed and Marty became worried. What was wrong with Jennifer? Had she eaten something bad?

A few tense seconds later, the bathroom door opened and Linda accompanied a white-faced Jennifer out of the bathroom, a hand rubbing her back. Linda directed her downstairs to use the phone and walked back up the steps to stare at Marty from behind her contacts, one completely out of place.

'She's sick, Marty.'

'I can see that,' Marty commented. 'Is she... is she all right? I mean, did the ice-cream upset her stomach or something?'

'Apparently she already had a stomach ache,' Linda said in that voice like she had a permanent cold, her eyes filled with something Marty didn't quite understand but felt he should. 'You should talk to her.'

'Maybe I will, Linda,' said the teenage boy and he stampeded down the steps and into the living room where Jennifer was putting the telephone back on its receiver. She approached Marty and wrapped her arms around him briefly before pulling back. 'I'm sorry, Marty, I'm gonna have to leave early, if that's okay with you.'

'No, no, it's fine, it's totally fine. If you're sick, you should get better, right? That's what I did,' Marty pulled her into another hug and said. 'You take care, okay?'

'Jennifer, dear, say hi to your mom for me,' Lorraine's voice floated through from the kitchen and Jennifer croaked back a Yes, I will and a few minutes later her parents were at the door and Marty let her go, an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

He decided that he was going to go visit the Doc.

It was still light out. He could make it. Maybe the Doc would have changed his mind, and if not, just the sound of somebody saying his voice would reaffirm that he was alive in his mind. He felt that maybe if he could talk to him, things would work out and everything would go back to normal.


	14. Chapter 14

Judging from the angle the light hit the floor, Emmett supposed it was around five pm. Emmett rubbed a sore-spot on his face. At lunch time whilst he waited in line amongst other orange-cloaked figures for slush which couldn't be the least bit sanitary, one man poked him in the back and although Emmett tried to ignore him, his patience was short lived. He spun around and smacked the man in the side of the head with his food tray. Then he got punched in the face and was sent back to his cell without any food.

Not that he wanted any anyway, Doc Brown told himself, patting his stomach. It growled. Emmett sighed heavily and lay down on the cold hard floor. Marty had visited earlier that day and Emmett had passed on the message: no. What if he visited again? What would he do? Albeit, Doc was wrapping his cloaks so forcefully around him that a psychologist would say he had a socializing problem - but he was in jail! _Everybody_ had social problems...

The truth was he didn't want to see Marty. It was simple. At the thought of Marty, he remembered the hickey on his neck which still hadn't faded, and then he remembered Marty's lips against his neck and his lips, drawing that pleasurable (dare he admit it?) ache in his gut. Emmett screwed his eyes shut and tried to force the pictures away but they kept on coming. Emmett breathed heavily and couldn't help think how he had violated his friend.

Emmett suddenly remembered a time a few months after that prostitute had visited him. He remembered taking a stroll down the newsagents in hope that he would find some kind of reading material which could aid him in his scientific endeavors, or would at least help warm the fire at night (he was running low on hate-mail). Just as Emmett was picking up a newspaper, his eyes spotted a magazine in a dark corner of the shop where a light flickered.

He had looked around the shop; it was virtually empty and there was that stale air that was in dire need of some kind of disturbance. Emmett placed the newspaper back on its massive pile and strolled over the area, trying to remain inconspicuous but being so tall that was hard to do. He settled with walking hunched over and tipping his hat further down his forehead.

The light blinked above his head as he strolled into the pornography section. He couldn't care less about those unhealthily skinny woman with plastic surgery on every inch, though, he would probably come back next weekend and pick a couple up, but the one that had caught his eye was one with two men on the cover wearing tight, coloured briefs, their arms around each other.

Emmett's mind boggled as he pulled the magazine cover out from its rack to observe the picture more closely. No doubt this was a magazine for the sexual stimulation of homosexual men. Emmett, curious as Pandora, slowly turned a page, bracing himself for whatever images he saw.

It was worse than he thought.

Emmett stuffed the magazine back into the rack, his eyes darting left and right in case anybody had seen him, but they had security cameras installed now so _somebody_ would be witness to his petty curiosity. The fleshy pictures were no different to any other pornographic magazine but it's content disturbed Emmett more than any other he had ever seen.

'Great Scott,' Emmett said slowly, dawning upon a sudden realization. 'Doctor Emmett L Brown subject to the ignorance, judgement and fear that is homophobia? _Nonsense_.'

Just to prove it to himself he wasn't he pulled out the magazine again and flicked through a few pages. He told himself, it's understandable why homosexuals would find this stimulating, to them ordinary Playboy are enigmatic. Finally satisfied with himself that he wasn't a homophobe, he placed the shiny cover of the magazine back on the rack. He was just being paranoid, he told himself firmly and, with a final glance at the cover, strolled down the aisle and picked up the newspaper, flopping it onto the counter to pay.

When Emmett walked out of the shop carrying the newspaper, a flamboyantly dressed man approached him and handed him a flyer to a Mardi Gras festival which Emmett gracefully declined, deciding he'd much rather be at home studying. The man winked at him and left.

Emmett thought nothing of it and turned right down the street to go home, walking past curiously dressed men and women when a small wonder struck him, 'Since when had there been so many queers in Hill Valley?'

But then he remembered the festival being held and couldn't help but wonder why on earth one was being held in Hill Valley when he had never properly met a gay in his life.

But then again, he didn't get out much. Maybe they were swarming everywhere and he had never noticed.

The next few minutes passed in cruel silence and Emmett touched the bruise on his face and neck just as the black receptionist appeared at the barring.

'Mr McFly is here to see you again. Marty McFly. Would you like to see him?'

This time Emmett got to his feet and approached the bars, staring at the woman and probably making her extremely uncomfortable, but she didn't divert her gaze, probably used to this (and worse) behavior. Then, just when Emmett was inches away from her face, he gave a small nod and after a jangling of keys, the cell screeched open.


	15. Chapter 15

'Doc!' Marty exclaimed. But the scientist couldn't hear him. Directed with an arm stroke of a member of staff, he sat down in front of a wall of glass, a telephone in front of him on a desk. They were separated from each other by a sheet of glass but Marty could sense the Doc's unease, the Doc's self-hatred, his disconnection. Marty picked up the yellow phone and pressed the numbers indicated by the staff member sitting next to him. Once Doc had stared the phone and picked it up, the staff members walked away and Marty and Doc were finally able to speak privately, one-on-one.

'Doc! Doc!' Doc didn't say anything and instead stared through the glass like he could melt it with his eyeballs. Marty wasn't ready to let his friend go crazy. 'Doc, how are you? You have no idea how happy I am to see you.'

The Doc's reply was sharp and gruff. 'Are you sure you're happy to see me Marty? Are you sure those drugs have worn off yet?'

Marty felt a stab of annoyance, but then it sank into him: the Doc really _did_ hate himself. Marty listened to the Doc's breathing in the ear-piece. It was ragged, like he hadn't properly breathed for ages.

'Doc, I know you're upset for what you did but there's no reason to – _I'm fine!_ Look, the doctor's let me off, they said my bloodstream is clean and, well I'm fine. I'm healthy and Doc,' he added, pressing his face up towards the glass and making breath marks. 'We need to get you out of here.'

'I wish I could,' the Doc said and Marty felt both sad and irritated at the loss in his voice. 'I'm sentenced here for ten years. If I leave, I wouldn't be able to come back.'

'We could put you through another trial! I mean, it was probably really unfair – I mean you've copped heaps of flak over the years and I mean, I'm not hurt or bothered or anything!'

Emmett leaned back in his chair and stared wearily through the glass at Marty, a small smile tugging at the sides of his taut lips. 'Marty,' he conceded. 'Whether you were okay with it or not, I was still in possession of drugs and I still forced it to you and I still abused you and I still-'

'Doc.'

'- I still hurt you Marty. Plus,' Doc added. 'You know I've been involved in far worse and _dangerous_ things.'

'Like time travel?'

'Yes, Marty. Like time travel and plutonium and giving unauthorised LSD to my old students and-'

'Time travel, Doc, _time travel!_'

Doc frowned, showing all the wrinkles in his face. 'I'm afraid I don't quite follow you, Marty.'

Marty pushed his chair forward up against the glass, motioning for the Doc to do the same. He scraped his chair in, audible through the telephone line, and brought his face up close to the glass. Marty's whisper was urgent, and heck, of course it was!

'Time travel, Doc,' Marty said slowly so the Doc could understand his connotations. 'I could get you out of here and you could go back to another time, eventually Hill Valley will forget about you, or, you could disguise yourself and...'

'I don't intend to be a fugitive, Marty.'

'No, not a fugitive, an actor! If the police can't figure out who you are that's their fault isn't it?' Doc gave a small snort of a laugh and Marty grinned. 'How about it, Doc? Time travel? You could go back in time or forward or whatever, and maybe you could move somewhere else in the world, maybe you could do something... well... I don't know, Doc, but I just know that you can't stay in here for _ten years_! That's not for you, Doc, and look at that bruise-'

Doc's hand snaked to his neck.

'-on your forehead.'

His hand fell to the table.

'Marty,' he said cautiously, 'whilst I appreciate the sentiment, I've broken the law, I've broken plenty of laws and I've been running away my entire life. It's time for me to pay the price.'

'No.'

'No?'

'Yeah, no, Doc. I'm not going to let you sit here and waste your life away, I mean, Doc, think of how much valuable scientific _research_ time you're going to be wasting in this dump. Think of all the things you could be _doing_. Think of it, Doc! You don't belong here...' Marty frowned into his mouth piece and Doc tapped on the glass and gave him a wink. Marty's frown tipped a little. 'I mean, Jesus, Doc... _please_. _Please_ consider it. Doc...' Marty's eyes filled with tears and no amount of glass tapping could do anything to change it. He loved the Doc: he was his best friend. What would he do without him? Well, sure, he could do a lot of things, but nothing would be the same. Nothing would be good, nothing would be fun. He needed his best friend to help him through the days, and Marty knew that Doc felt the same way. 'We're friends, right, Doc?' Marty's voice was cracking for the second time that day and he wished he could stop it but at the same time, he didn't, the Doc needed to see the truth. What he really felt. He only wished it didn't have to resort to _crying_. 'Friends for life, right? Partners in time?'

His voice got lost in his throat and his adam's apple felt like it was going to explode. He screwed up his eyes and wiped them, knowing his crackly voice was coming across to the other end of the line. The phone dropped a fraction in his hand, and Marty's eyes peered open to look through the glass at the Doc in that orange uniform. He was leaning back again in his chair, the phone receiver pressed up against his face.

'Marty.'

Marty sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve.

'What?'

The Doc looked left and right and then put his mouth up to his face to hide his mouth moving.

'It's a deal, I admit, you've convinced me,' he paused and Marty smiled, his insides filling with surmounting glee. 'You want to get me out and if you're willing to put in the effort, I'll leave without a second thought. I already have a date in mind: 1885. I've always wanted to go to the West, and thinking about it, I really need a change of scenery. I think some time away will do me some good,' the Doc took a deep breath. 'The main, most obvious problem is how are we're going to get me out, and I've put some thought into this already, seeing it there's a way I could tear away the bars to my cell, but, there's no good way to get out unless I want to climb up to a window in the cafeteria and leap out into empty space. However, I think the prison would be a lot easier to penetrate from the outside and assuming you use the correct materials; you could remove the bars in the cell with a type of saw and replace them with some kind of quick-drying adhesive.'

The Doc removed his hand and leaned forward across the table, the curl of telephone cord dangling over the bench like a necklace.

'I think we should do this tonight, Doc,' Marty said, figuring the sooner the better but the Doc's eyes widened and he shook his head.

'Tonight? This sort of thing takes nights, _weeks_ of planning!' Doc growled but then he shook his head and laughed. 'But who am I kidding; I hate this place!' he looked around the room in exasperation and disbelief. 'But not tonight. Not tonight. If it must be soon, I say tomorrow. We could organize this right now and... Actually,' Doc's eyes widened in a sudden glee. 'I have a better idea. One which involves no damage to public property because god knows I need to escape causing as little damage as possible.' Marty nodded and he continued eagerly. 'What you do is steal the receptionist's keys and then come and release me!'

He held an arm out like it was the simplest plan in the world. Marty couldn't help grinning sheepishly. 'This seems like the kind of plan which can backfire drastically.'

'But doesn't every plan?' Marty thought back to all their previous time travelling adventures and even life in general, usually if you plan something and try your best to make everything work out, it doesn't. Just like this afternoon, Marty thought, when Jennifer and I were talking and then she got sick and... Marty's thoughts trailed off but the Doc spoke and interupted his train of thought. 'Marty, where's Einstein? Is he doing okay?'

'What? Oh, he's fine, I think. He's in the pound...'

'Shit,' the Doc said, and then his voice softened. 'Marty, will you take care of Einie while I'm gone? Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble?'

'Sure, sure thing, Doc,' Marty promised and Doc nodded approvingly. 'When will it happen tomorrow, then?'

'I don't know,' Doc said honestly, 'do it whenever you want. I won't be able to do anything except wait until you arrive.'

'But, when's your lunch break? That's gotta be the worst time to come at.'

'Fair point. Okay, well, food breaks are at eleven, four, and eight. So don't come at those times. Oh, and if you could somehow get Jennifer or somebody else to _help you_, I'm sure we can make this go quite smoothly.' Marty told him he hoped so and Doc nodded, suddenly asking him: 'How is Jennifer, by the way? When I mentioned her name your face paled.'

'Oh,' Marty stammered, 'well, uh, just, she's sick, that's all.'

'Ah,' Doc began and then the line went dead. A staff member spoke from behind Marty and one from behind the Doc. Marty wished he could stay longer, but he knew he had to leave.

'Your ten minutes are up, Mr McFly. You may visit again tomorrow anytime during visiting hours between ten am and five pm. Please come this way.'

As the phone was put back onto the receiver, Marty caught the Doc's gaze filled with such fright and dejectedness. Thank god he's getting out, Marty thought, he clearly can't stand it. The Doc gave Marty a half smile and a small what-the-heck-that's-life wink and shrug. Marty left with his insides filled with an eagerness and dread. After all, he had to plan a get-away for the Doc and then take care of his dog whilst he spent time away in 1885.

He just didn't like the smell of that dog food.

*

As Marty walked home, he was filled with an inner proud and joy that he was going to help the Doc. He was already racking his brains for a way to do it. They had to distract the receptionist and for that, something needed to happen, he needed Jennifer. Jennifer, he knew, would understand and figure out a way to distract her. Then, he could sneak up to the desk, grab the keys and get through the door, race past all those cells until he found the one with Doc inside, he'd open it up and they'd run out and Marty would show him the DeLorean, toss him the keys and the Doc would be off to the past, then back again, probably in a few months. Marty would miss him, sure, but he knew what needed to be done.

Marty passed Burger King and then arrived outside the Doc's house. It was almost dark, and only the glowing yellow and red from Burger King lit the dingy, dark house that was the Doc's. There was a black and yellow striped tape around it, tied around trees and polls, making angles bar the garage. Marty knew he had to get the DeLorean and his skateboard out which had been left inside. As a car rumbled past out of Burger King, his shoes crunched on the cement as he climbed underneath the tape and approached the front door. Then he heard a voice.

'Whatcha doing, kid?'

Marty spun around just as he bent down to collect the extra key from under the mat. Gingerly, he stood, trying not to look too guilty as he stared at the man in the red Ferrari which had honked at him and Jennifer earlier that day.

'Who's asking?' Marty countered, folding his arms and staring at the man's Ferrari with indifference.

'The police will if you're not careful. That property's sealed off, don't you know?'

'No, yeah, I know.'

'Then I'd better get away if I were you.'

Marty strode sideways back on the other side of the tape, raising his arms in surrender. 'There you go, sir. I'll just be going home now. Have a nice night, sir.'

He grinned at the man who screwed up his nose at him and then drove past. Marty gave a sigh of relief and then, ducking under the tape, he reached under the mat for a key, but found it was gone. Marty swore under his breath, searching the ground for it. Then he spotted a glint of silver: the key! Marty jumped down off the step and scooped the key out of the dirt, blowing it clean, then he leapt up and secured the lock in the door. He pushed it open.

As he stepped inside and shut the door, he felt like he was in a haunted house, the house of a dead person. He flicked on a light switch. It looked like the Doc hadn't even left; it looked like Marty had never left. It was all the same. There were markings on the floor where a water glass had smashed and flashes of the other day trickled into his head. The Doc and Marty, Marty and the Doc. Marty shook his head; it was in the past, what he had to focus on was getting the DeLorean and -

Marty spotted his skateboard leaning against a pillar and he picked it up, turning it over, searching for any kind of damage, but it was the same as he left it. He held the board in his right hand, letting it swing as he maneuvered himself through the towering boxes, papers, and half-completed, all-failed experiements. Marty found his way towards Emmett's bed and-

Marty paused and sat down on Emmett's bed. Marty backtracked. _Emmett?_ He had never called Doc Emmett in his life. His fingers carressed the worn pillow and the discarded blanket and he remembered falling onto the ground, his trembling fingers grasping the hem of the Doc's cloak and pulling him down with him. They had fallen painfully to the floor but not before Marty had called Doc by his first name. Marty stood and pulled a suitcase out from under the Doc's bed, pulling clothes out of the Doc's wardrobe, sitting aside more towering boxes and stuffing them inside the metal container. Marty wondered what else he might need in 1885. He found the Doc's money case and pulled out some coins and notes, stuffing them in the case with it, clicking the suitcase shut after sitting on it. Marty pulled the suitcase into his hand and passed the boxes again, finding a spot at the very back of the garage where he knew the DeLorean was kept. Without a doubt, it was there, covered in that yellow sheet. Marty placed the suitcase against a box and wrenched it off, scrunching it into a ball and throwing it on the ground, when he heard voices outside.

'Are you sure he was here, Brett? He doesn't seem to be here anymore.'

'What if he's inside? He could have broken in somehow.'

It was the man with the Ferrari, obnoxiously called Brett. Marty stopped what he was doing, holding his breath and keeping himself still and silent. Then Marty saw the tiny slit of windows at the top of the garage and his eyes widened as a few heads appeared there, the man and a police officer, a woman. And she saw Marty.

'He's inside.' the man said.

'I can see that, I can see that.' the police officer said, their heads disappearing from view.

'Shit,' Marty breathed, and he pulled open the gull wing door to the DeLorean and threw the suitcase inside. 'Ah crap, Doc, where are the keys to the car?'

They weren't inside the DeLorean, that much was certain. Marty began pulling open drawers and looking under sheets when he heard a voice magnified by use of a megaphone.

'Please leave the building immediately, this is private property and you are tresspassing over security lines.'

'The hell I am,' Marty grunted, searching frantically through papers and boxes for any sight of the key, 'the Doc would let me in any time... Where are those keys? Damnit Doc! Keys... keys...' Marty reached the Doc's bed and threw the pillow at the wall. It clinked as it hit and Marty messed the blankets. The teenager grabbed the pillow and stuffed his hand into the case, groping the bottom of it. 'Aha!'

He pulled out the keys to the car and leaped from the bed, rushing to get to the garage and open it. The police officer and that guy would be just outside, Marty thought. They knew he was there, they'll find a way in. Marty stuffed the car keys and house keys into his pocket and approached the garage wall, unlocking the metal switches from behind.

'It's now or never,' Marty said under his breath and he kicked the doors open. He was blinded by headlights and deafened by the yelling of Brett and the officer.

'There he is!'

'That's Marty McFly,' the officer announced and as Brett ran after Marty as he sprinted passed boxes, pushing them over in the man's way, in hope that he wouldn't be able to pass. Brett yelled in rage as Marty jumped over some more boxes and threw himself inside the DeLorean, pulling the keys out of his pocket and stuffing them into the egnition, turning it. To his horror, it stalled.

'God damn it,' Marty groaned and he hit the steering wheel and watched through the glass as the man and the officer were budging the boxes out of the way sending old experiments and inventions crashing to the floor. Marty flicked the engition once more just as they pushed past the boxes and as the DeLorean's lights flicked on, lighting their petrified faces, they hurled themselves out of the way as the DeLorean zoomed passed, smashing into boxes and driving out of the garage into the open road.

Marty felt comfort driving the machine again and as he turned a corner, he realized, in a small jolt of realization, that the police would be alerted of his intrusion soon and the Doc would be moved or questioned. There was only one thing to do now, Marty thought brutally, it was time to save the Doc. He turned the steering wheel at the end of the street and drove to Jennifer's house.

*

'Hello, I'm sorry to disturb you, it's kind of late, but I was wondering if I could take Jennifer out for a drive.'

Mr Parker stared at Marty like he was insane - though actually his glare was filled with an undignified hatred. Marty shifted his weight onto his left foot and tried again.

'I know she's sick, but I'd like to talk to her, you know? I'd like to see how she's going. I'd like to spend some time with her.'

The door was slammed in his face. Marty was desperate and he knocked on the door and yelled, saying that he needed to talk with Jennifer for a few moments, but then he heard a yelling inside the house from the other side. Mr Parker was talking with Jennifer, it sounded, with an angry tone.

'Your shit-can of a boyfriend is outside and he wants to talk to you.'

'Oh, daddy, don't talk about him like that, I know you're upset, but...'

'I don't want you associating with that boy, Jenny, especially after-'

'It's okay, it's okay, don't worry. Seriously, dad, it's not that bad... really... I mean, it wasn't his fault, it was an accident.'

There was a pause from inside and Marty waited with equal expectation, but he couldn't help wonder why he was so cold towards him. I mean, Jennifer was sick, sure, but it wasn't _his_ fault... was it? It was just the flu or something. Oh... Marty realized with a small thud in his chest, she must have caught a cold from when he took her up to the mountain. No wonder he didn't want her out with me.

Just as Marty was considering walking away and saving the Doc on his own, the door flew open and Jennifer stood in the doorway, looking quite worn out like just standing was effort enough. Marty was worried she was going to fall flat on her face when she leaned against the door frame.

'What's up, Marty?'

'I need you to come with me. Now,' Marty urged, hoping he could convey his desperation with accuracy. 'It's urgent.'

'Sure,' Jennifer said, without hesitation. He heard a shout of disapproval from behind the wall and Jennifer turned behind her and told her dad. 'Dad, this way I can tell him without you _interrupting_.'

Just as Mr Parker was about to pull Jennifer back inside the house, Jennifer leapt forward and held Marty in her arms. Marty took her hand and pulled her into the DeLorean.

'The DeLorean?' Jennifer asked. 'Isn't this Doc's car?'

'Sure is,' Marty explained, and he started the engine and drove down the street and the porch lights at Jennifer's house flicked off. 'It's the Doc's car because we're going to get him. We're rescuing him tonight. We're doing it right now.'

'But, why?' Jennifer asked. 'I mean, how are you going to do that? It would take a lot of work... I mean...'

'You're going to help me, Jen, you've gotta help me. Please,' Marty explained. 'I'm in trouble with the police for even collecting the Doc's car and if we wait any longer they'll come and get me,' Marty sighed and turned a corner sharply. Jennifer stared at all the gizmos and levers and buttons in the DeLorean and her mouth opened, just realizing they were there.

'Marty, what's all this for?'

Marty grimaced and slowed the car to stop at a red light, turning to Jennifer with a small smile on his face. 'I'll tell you later.'

*

When Marty pulled Jennifer into the waiting room, he was surprised to see that the woman who had been taking care of the reception desk was gone. Instead, there was a man who had obviously just started shift. When the man swivelled around, Marty was horrified to see that it was the same man who had drove out of Burger King with the Red Ferrari. The Doc would call it an amazing coincidence, but Marty thought it was just bad luck. As the man spun around in his chair, hair combed back across his fat head with grease, Marty turned away and looked at Jennifer, back to the man.

'Okay, Jennifer, this is going to sound really weird but I need you to distract that man over there somehow.'

'Distract... how?' Jennifer asked, obviously fearing flirting with the man, or _worse_. 'But, Marty, he's so... _big_.'

'Well, if you distract him, you'll be able to give me time to get the keys and get in there. Jen, baby, I know you can do it, please, do this for me. That guy knows who I am, he's the guy who saw me go into the Doc's house and decided I was tresspassing... The jerk,' Mary added as an afterthought and as his fingers clenched harder on Jennifer's arm, she winced and praised Marty's fingers apart, letting them rest by his side.

'Actually, Marty, there was something I needed to tell you,' Jennifer began and Marty's insides squirmed. He was finally going to find out the reason why her dad was so cold towards him, why she was sick. Marty admitted, she did look pale. 'I visited the doctor's this afternoon with my dad, and... Well, my mum wasn't back from work yet, see, so I couldn't go with her. Thing is...' she took a deep breath and held the bridge of her nose, evidentally stressed and upset, she struggled to hold a small smile upon her face as her lip shook. 'See, Marty, thing is... I'm pregnant.....'

She sniffed and her eyes whelled with tears. Marty was stunned. He felt like a ton of bricks had smashed into him. _Pregnant?_

'What?' Marty breathed in disbelief, 'but Jen, that's not... How? I was wearing... I mean, I don't understand - we took precautions so that this didn't happen.'

'I know, Marty, I know. I was suprised too... But, it just shows... Well, maybe if you take precautions, bad things can still happen.'

Jennifer lost it. She sniffled loudly and sobbed into Marty's shoulder as he scooped her up in his arms, completely bewildered. Jennifer was pregnant? What did she expect him to do? He loved Jennifer, sure, but...

'Can't you get an abortion or something?' Marty whispered and Jennifer regained her composure, pulling away from Marty.

'That's really expensive, you know, Marty, and... well, I don't want to. See, Marty, I want to keep this child, I want to keep our child. I know it sounds immature but I-'

'But Jen, look, we're not old enough to have kids, I mean...' Marty stumbled. If Jennifer really did have this child, he would have to take care of it and stuff, and well, Jennifer would be teased at school and so would Marty. Their teachers had always warned them about teenage pregnancy, what would they say? 'Think about this... I mean, if we're ready to have kids later, we can have them later, but now - Jen, we're not ready. We're not... I'm not ready! I'm not ready for a baby, Jennifer.'

Suddenly Jennifer was looking over Marty's shoulder and her eyes were wide. A deep voice boomed and bore into his brain.

'Is there a problem here, ma'am?' Brett asked and Jennifer forced a big smile on her face and shook her head.

'No, there's no problem. I was telling my boyfriend here how I'm going to have a baby.'

'Oh, I see,' the man said, and he put a hand on Marty's shoulder and said. 'Congratulations. You've got a might fine looking lady right here, I'm sure your kid will be beau-ti-ful.'

Suddenly, Marty pulled on the man's hand and flung himself around and before he knew it his fist was crashing into the side of Brett's head with a smack. He fell to the floor, knocked out, but he had seen Marty and recognized him before he went down. Marty held his knuckles and stared at the man then rushed behind the desk and begun pulling out draws, looking for the keys.

'Marty!' Jennifer scolded and she stepped over Brett's body and stared at Marty, a hand placed over her belly like there was something there, like there was something to protect, but it was _so small_.

'Jennifer,' Marty began, and there was a jangling as he pulled the ring of keys out of a draw, slamming it shut. 'I don't want you to have that kid.'

'Marty, you're in shock. I think that if you just... think about it for a second-'

'But you never thought about it, did you?' snapped Marty and knew as soon as he said it that it was the wrong thing, but he didn't have time to deal with Jennifer now, there were more pressing things, like saving the Doc and not getting caught. Marty rushed over to the big, iron door and began stuffing keys into the lock, turning them and taking them out as they failed to open the door.

Brett began to stir on the floor and Marty began to change keys more frantically. Jennifer rushed up to Marty's side. 'Marty, ever since we've been going out I wondered what it would be like for us to be married, to have kids together. I thought about it- I thought what if it did happen? And so when the doctor told me I was, well... I thought 'hey, I got what I wanted, didn't I?' because I pictured us happy together and me being like this and I thought, 'this is great, we can finally start a life together' unless...' Jennifer paused and took a deep breath, still looking at Marty struggling with the keys. 'Marty, we want to be together, don't we? Don't you want to be with me?'

Marty grit his teeth together as he stuffed another key into the lock; another failure. He glanced with wide eyes towards Brett on the floor as he began to wake and get up, to Jennifer's hurt face, to the keys as they jangled and tinkled as he picked up another and stuffed it into the lock.

'Jen, I'll talk to you about this later, okay?' Marty whispered and Jennifer nodded. Marty raised his eyebrows towards the officer on the floor as he stood on his feet, rubbing his head. 'Could you get rid of him for me?'

'Marty,' Jennifer said reproachfully. 'Marty, I'm pregnant.'

'YOU!' the officer yelled and he strode forward just as Marty turned the key in the lock. Not the right one. 'Marty McFly, you are in deep shit.'

Marty ducked out of the way as Brett pounced and Jennifer screamed and ran behind the desk as Marty fiddled with the keys, finding another one, praying it was right as he dodged Brett's attempts to catch him as he jumped off chairs, knocking over magazine tables and flyer stands. He arrived at the door again and stuffed the key into it, turning it. With a satisfying click, it worked. Just as he pushed the door open an inch, he slammed it shut and ducked as Brett raised his fist. It went slamming into the iron door and with a sickening crack which could only be his hand breaking, Brett yelled and clutched his fist.

Marty, amazed at his luck, pushed the door open, giving Jennifer a small wave as he shut the door behind him and stood in a corridor. He walked down the gloom of cement walls and rounded the corner to a line of cells. His insides churned as he half-ran down, hearing yells of surprise and anger from the inmates as he looked left and right, left and right, trying to find the cell where the Doc would be, wrapped in an orange jump suit.

'Doc, where are you?'

'DOC!' screeched a man and laughed noisily. Marty ignored him as he reached the end of the hall. Where was the Doc? Looking at his watch, Marty decided that it wouldn't be long that people would start looking for him. He turned down another line of cells, looking in each cell for the white hair and wide eyes, the Doc. He was just getting worried he was in the wrong block when he found the Doc sitting against the wall in his cell on the bed.

Marty stared at the writing on the bar door and found the key with the same numbering. As he clanged the lock open and pushed the door open, Doc stared at him with disbelief and confusion as Marty whispered, 'come on' and the Doc nodded and strode out of the cell with equal urgency as Marty.

'Should I shut the door?' Marty asked, glancing at the Doc's cell as he left it. Doc shrugged.

'Won't make a difference unless you take too long to do so. Let's go.'

Just as they walked quickly down the line of cells, the screeching of the other captives made their ears bleed, but they didn't show it... until there was a urgent voice over the speaker system, saying, quite clearly, that Marty McFly had broken into the prison, and was helping Doc Brown escape. A few seconds later, they heard running from behind them, and they started into a sprint towards the iron door; partners in time.


	16. Chapter 16

Emmett couldn't deny he was shocked when Marty appeared at his cell door, but he was glad nonetheless. He was getting really cold and the weather report he heard in the canteen said it was going to be a chilly night. He was all ready for action when he rushed out of the cell and when the announcement boomed their discovery, Doc said simply, as they ran towards the door and Marty began to search for the right key, 'They were bound to find out sooner or later, besides, if it all went smoothly, it wouldn't be a _memorable_ break out, would it?' Doctor Brown put his hands in his pockets and watched Marty work with the keys. 'Don't you even remember which key you came in with?'

'No, I do, Doc, I'm just having trouble finding it.'

'Fair enough. You know, they've got my clothes hidden somewhere in here but-'

'Yeah, Doc, we're not getting them now, you can just buy some new clothes. Besides, I've got you some in the car in your suitcase.'

'Very good, very good. That's very responsible of you, Marty.'

Marty's grin became distorted at the word responsible and he looked over his shoulder as the running became louder and closer. Then, the door clicked open and Marty pulled Doc through the door, slamming it shut behind him.

'Marty!' came a voice. It was Jennifer. She was behind the receptionist desk, Brett holding her around the neck, threatening to crush it. Emmett's brow furrowed; that wasn't the way to treat a woman! Totally disrespectful, and definitely not the way a police officer ought to behave.

'I'm sorry, Jen,' Marty said, and then he rushed past them and through the receptionist door, Emmett looking back at the distraught girl with an amazed look of disbelief. Didn't Marty care about Jennifer? She was his girlfriend. Emmett admitted his mind was working furiously in an attempt to understand why everything was happening a day early, but it was too much.

They ran down the hall, through the doors and they reached the DeLorean parked at the curb. As Marty pulled the DeLorean's key out of his pocket, gave it to Emmett and the Doc got in the driver's seat, Marty hopped in the passenger seat and shut the gull wing door.

'Marty,' Emmett said sternly. 'Go back inside and help Jennifer. I'm supposed to go alone.'

'No thanks, Doc, we're friends right? Good pals, aren't we? We can go to 1885 together, it'll be worth it, trust me-'

'No,' Emmett said, his orange suit looking a lot like the white radiation suit he had worn when showing Marty the DeLorean the first time, only it was orange, a lot more firey, giving his eyes an unnatural spark, more so than normal, anyway. 'Marty, Jennifer is inside and she needs you. I can't believe you'd be so immature as to leave a pregnant woman to fend for herself. That you'd-'

'Whoa, whoa, whoa,' Marty stammered, holding his arms up in front of him. 'I never told you she was pregnant, how do you know?'

'I'm a scientist,' Emmett explained, 'so I'm naturally able to put two and two together and it all points to Jennifer's pregnancy.' He took a deep breath and then looked out the window passed Marty's head towards the front of the building where the jail's staff members were rushing out towards the car. Emmett revved the DeLorean and drove off, being careful to keep the time circuits off so he and Marty didn't get sent through time. 'Have you set the time circuits up already?'

'Yeah, I have,' Marty explained, 'November 5, 1885, that's okay, right?'

'It's fine,' Emmett said stiffly, accelerating through a yellow light. He knew the police cars would be out in seconds, but Marty needed to get out. Emmett turned a corner and planned to find a way back to the prison to drop Marty off. 'You can't stay with me, Marty.'

'But Doc,' Marty groaned, 'Doc, I don't know how to take care of a child. I don't know anything, I don't -'

'You'll learn,' Emmett said gruffly, glancing over to his friend who was obviously so bothered. Emmett shook his head in disbelief as he turned a corner, hearing a faint whirr of police sirens behind him. 'Marty, you went back to 1955 to get your parents together and now you're too afraid to do the same thing yourself! You're a coward, Marty, you're being a coward and you're using going back in time with me an excuse to get away from it.'

'I just need time to think, Doc, I mean, I can come back here afterwards and no time would have passed and -'

'But I won't be coming back like no time has passed,' replied the scientist, and he slammed his foot on the brakes as he reached a red light, looking anxiously in the rear vision mirror for any sign of his chasers. 'Marty, I know you're scared, and heck, you have reason to, but Jennifer's your girl, and you have to take part of the responsibility.'

'But, Doc! She wants to have the kid now instead of getting an-'

'She's the one who has to go through with the pregnancy, I'm sure she knows what _she's _doing. I bet if you were her you would do the same thing, and if you love her and respect her you'll go back there to take care of her and appreciate that she's doing such a thing for you.'

Emmett suddenly felt fingers clasp around his wrist like a vice grip and when he turned around to look, Marty's face was up to his and with a horrible feeling of deja-vu, Marty drew closer, his eyes darting down to Emmett's lips, but the scientist was quick to react and he looked away and zoomed forward just as the light turned green and shot forward. 'No, Marty! You're not listening to what I'm saying!'

'Doc, please, I mean, the experiment, I mean, I felt something... What if it was real? I mean, Doc, I luh-love you.'

'No you don't,' Emmett said, his nerves cracking in his voice. 'Marty, you're a teenager, and feelings such as this are bound to be normal to you for a certain extent. I don't believe you really like me, otherwise, you wouldn't have felt attracted to me through drug use. Drugs make people do and feel strange, different things so-'

'But Doc, how do you know it's not real? How can you be so sure?' Marty stuttered and Emmett turned down the block adjacent to the prison, his teeth grinding furiously together. He didn't want to think about the experiment now - whilst it was definitely an experience, he knew better.

'Marty, the only time you consumed Lysergic acid diethylamide was in my presence and each time you reacted the exact same way. You never felt that way towards me off the LSD, I'm sure, but having that experience no doubt gave you doubts. Marty,' Emmett said again, 'you have to think about the other options. It's possible that if you were in a room with Jennifer and were under the influence, you would have felt the exact same thing towards her.

'The drug obviously made you aroused - not really what it's supposed to do - but obviously your body can't work with it, so when you saw me, and only me, you found an outlet for those feelings and so...' Emmet trailed off, braking at a stop sign. Emmett turned to Marty and was shocked to see the boy's head in his hands. He had reason to, Emmett figured, his girlfriend was pregnant, he was confused, he was going to be saying goodbye to a good friend.

Emmett frowned. He was going to miss Marty, but, he thought, maybe it was best he left him for awhile, to give him time to think and realize his feelings towards Jennifer were the right ones, whereas ones towards him was completely irrational and a complete illusion.

_'Delusions... THESE are the delusions you had! These are the things you saw! Well, Marty, I can't allow it. I can't allow you to ruin your future!'_

Marty didn't say anything as Emmett pulled over at the end of the block, the prison in view through the trees. Emmett turned the time circuits on and made sure everything was in place.

'Marty, I'm really going to miss you - but at the same time, I think it's reasonable that I don't come back here for more than a few months; a year. The town would have to calm down and ajust to my sudden disappearance, then they'd be looking for me, and then they'd eventually give up and figured I died or something - hopefully. They'll forget about this, but just incase they don't, I'll move out of town, somewhere nice and away from the city -maybe.'

Marty looked up from his hands, eyes puffy, staring at the Doc. 'Doc,' he muttered, 'Doc, I'm gonna,' his voice cracked. 'Doc, I don't want... Do you really think...'

'I do think it's the best decision,' Emmett nodded, firm on his decision and Marty got out of the car and slammed the door shut, tapping on the window. Emmett lowered it and Marty peeked through it. Emmett smiled at him. 'Marty, you'll be fine. You'll be sad at first but remember, I'm an adult. I know how to take care of myself. You're an adult too - and you need to realize that decisions must be made - and you need to make them.' The scientist paused. 'I also think leaving Hill Valley for awhile will help you adjust and realize what's really important to you.'

'Don't be bold, Doc,' Marty said, and he tried to grin, but tears were already filling his eyes. 'Doc, you have no idea... You mean a lot more to me than you think, you always have - but not in that way - I mean, you're probably right but, I did feel something and you have to admit what happened was... Well, it was an _experience_, wasn't it?'

Emmett chuckled and in the silence they looked at each other, the warm quiet was soon broken by police sirens coming closer behind them.

'I'll be seeing you, Marty,' Emmett said and Marty nodded and backed away from the car, standing next to the trees. They exchanged a glance before the DeLorean revved to a start and roared down the road, reaching the eighty-eight miles per hour receiving the one-point-twenty-one jigowatts necessary and bursting into a bright flash of light. There was a bang - the sonic boom - and great fire trails appeared behind it, crackling and burning the ashphalt. As Marty stood and a light breeze passed over the firey tracks, he remembered Jennifer... and what he was supposed to be doing.

*

**END OF PART TWO**


	17. EPILOGUE

**EPILOGUE: TO A YEAR LATER**

When the Doc had dissapeared from view in the DeLorean, Marty had sprinted to the building, thrown open the big metal doors and ran down the corridor into the receptionist office when he stood before Brett holding Jennifer by the neck.

'Please,' Marty had said, feeling really pathetic and tired and miserable, but he perked up, knowing the Doc was gone, knowing he wasn't going to be back for awhile. He wasn't ready to deal with _those_ feelings, instead, he figured he'd deal with his feelings for Jennifer. 'She's pregnant, Brett. She's my girl. Please let her go. We're going to have a baby together.'

Jennifer's eyes filled with happiness as Brett let her go and trudged off to finally get a doctor for his hand which was swollen and purple. Jennifer ran into Marty's arms and he held her close, smelling her hair - her beautiful hair - and when they drew away, Marty patted her stomach over her jacket and grinned broadly.

Marty went to court charged with breaking and entering. He didn't get in half the trouble he would have because his lawyer argued his case correctly. But there was still the issue of interfering with a crime scene... but Marty's parents paid the charge, telling Marty out of ear-shot of the judge, that although they dissaproved of him breaking so many rules, they agreed it was for the best. _Then_ Marty got in trouble for helping the Doc escape and Marty finally defend himself on the Doc's part for the science experiment which was undertaken though the jury decided that Marty shouldn't have to be blamed for anything that happened and that Doctor Emmett Brown, once he was found, would have to pay the price.

'So he's not going to go to jail then?' Marty dared to ask his lawyer in a hushed voice.

'Not if they don't find him,' his lawyer said back, winking.

Although Marty suffered from a mild bought of depression from the Doc's departure, he was soon back at school and he and Jennifer pulled through all the snide comments about Jennifer's pregnancy, even the claps Marty got on the back. Marty took Einstein in, the real life remains of the Doc's existance in 1985, and when the Doc didn't return home after a few months, the goverment decided to get rid of the house and replace it with a new government approved building. Before it was knocked down, however, Marty spent a few days going in and pulling every bit of furniture, electronics, paper and devices out. Unfortunately there wasn't enough room in his bedroom so he rented a flat in Hill Valley to keep it all in and occasionally visited to check in and pay any lease.

Before he knew it, three, four, five months had passed and Jennifer's belly was enormous. They sat on Jennifer's porch in the hammock and they talked about names they could call it.

'We don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, though,' Marty reasoned, 'so how are we supposed to figure out what kind of name, you know, to call it?'

Jennifer shrugged and stroked her stomach whilst Marty kissed her cheek.

'We can still brainstorm names of _either_ gender.'

'Not Norman though,' decided Marty and Jennifer laughed and agreed.

'Never. That's an old person's name.'

'I bet we won't really decide on a name until we seem them,' Marty explained and Jennifer, though she agreed, shrugged and rested her hand on her stomach, a small smile creeping across her face. 'They're kicking again. Want to feel, Marty?'

Marty, though nervous, finally complied, and his grin was shaky as he felt the sharp pressure against his palm. 'Well, it's good they're going to be a fighter, huh?'

Months passed and Marty became exceedingly nervous, as did Jennifer, but they took classes and Marty's unease settled (only slightly). He had recently turned eighteen, Jennifer seventeen, and he knew the experience was going to be different (and _difficult_) since they were so young. In fact, Marty gulped, they were the youngest in their pregnancy class and he couldn't help feel judged when they were looked at by the other parents to-be.

The moment when Jennifer went in labor was the most terrifying moment of Marty McFly's life. Sure, they had been to special classes to prepare for the moment, but when it finally came, Marty was absolutely clueless. His parents had driven him over the hospital and he waited by Jennifer's side, holding her hand (or rather, his hand being crushed by hers) and praying that it would all be okay. As she gasped and held back screams, Marty's legs turned to jelly. He couldn't help wondering what the Doc was doing in 1885 and if he had found love like he had. Marty smirked at the image of the Doc going on a date with somebody in 1885; the prospect of Doc with a woman always amused him, probably because he knew that the only women the Doc had been with were the ones in the Playboys he owned.

'Push! Push! That's it, Jennifer, good girl. You're doing so well! One more - the last one! Here we go!'

Jennifer's screaming stopped and became deep, gulping breaths. The baby started screaming and Marty snapped back to reality with a ripple of relief. His kid was born. It was a girl. She was so beautiful, Marty breathed and Jennifer's hand grew limp in his own as she reached for her baby which had just been cleaned. With help from the nurse, she was fed. Marty kissed his girl on the cheek with tears in his eyes. Jennifer's cheeks were stained with wet but she smiled as she held their baby. After she was fed, she was pushed into Marty's arms and although he had little experience holding babies,_ this one_ fit perfectly in his arms.

'What are we going to call her?' Marty whispered out of the corner of his mouth and Jennifer's voice, worn and exhausted said, 'Marlene.'

'Marlene...' Marty replied, staring at the baby's chubby face, 'Sure, that can work.' It finally registered in his mind that he was a father. He had had to deal with the idea for months now but it never really sank in... until he held the child in his arms. 'Hello _Marlene. I_'m Marty. You're going to be seeing a lot of me over the next few years...'

The next couple of months were dedicated to taking care of Marlene. Jennifer took care of her at home with the occasional help of her parents and Marty would visit as often as he could to help out. Marty was just settling into parenthood when there was a screech outside of Jennifer's house when Marlene. Marty vaguely wondered if it was the police, having figuring out that he had done something wrong (though he no idea what that would be). However, as he walked out onto Jennifer's porch, he lost his breath. It was a DeLorean... and not just _any_ DeLorean.

'Doc?' Marty muttered. The gull wing door whooshed open and out came the Doc wearing a maroon suit and black bow tie. He waved an arm joyfully.

'Marty!'

'Doc!' cried Marty and he leapt down the porch and towards the Doc... _when a few other people left the car._ Marty's mind went blank; he didn't know what to think.

'Marty, meet Clara and the boys; Jules and Verne.'

A beautiful skinny women with an earnest face had stepped out of the passenger seat and approached the Doc's side. They hooked arms and out of the back had come Jules and Verne, about four and six years old. Marty was amazed.

'Doc,' Marty spluttered, staring at the young kids. _The Doc really had gotten busy in 1885..._ 'Nice to meet you, Clara. Jules and Verne.' He bowed his head slightly, grinning friendlily and then he heard a yell from behind him.

'Marty! Who's there?'

Marty turned to see his beautiful girlfriend with their child in her arms wrapped in a cotton blanket. Jennifer stood next to Marty and hitched the sleeping Marlene higher in her arms, holding the head protectively.

'Wow, Doc, I didn't know you had...' Jennifer stumbled for words staring at Jules and Verne. The Doc stared at the baby in her arms with a knowing smile and Jen continued cheerily, 'I'm surprised! 1885 has been good to you.'

Doc raised an eyebrow at Marty and he shrugged. 'Don't worry, she won't tell anyone,' Marty reassured, having told Jennifer all about his and the Doc's adventures in the time machine little by little, his original 1985 to 1955 trip when he saved Jennifer from Brett and they were walking home. He told the rest at school, when topics of discussion were lacking and he was certain there wouldn't be eavesdroppers. Jennifer had accepted it all fairly easily - with no less difficulty than Marty, anyway.

And now, the Doc was back after a year of departure (though, clearly more than that in his time) and he had a girlfriend and kids. Just like Marty did. For a few moments they stared at each other and Jules and Verne both looked awkwardly at their father and were allowed to go back in the DeLorean. Clara smiled sheepishly at the two boys and then at Marty and Jennifer.

'Marty,' she addressed. 'I have heard much about you but it's really something different to be seeing you in person. It's an honor.'

'Oh, more of an honor to me than you, I'm sure,' blurted Marty stupidly, feeling like a thourough idiot and hoping what he said didn't make him seem like it was an honor to meet himself - because that would of been arrogant. Marty continued. 'But, I'm really glad that if the Doc had to find someone, it'd be you. Because...' a large grin flitted across his face. ' You look very happy together.'

'As much as I am a scientist,' the Doc said suddenly, eyeing Marty with a glint, 'I would like to think _fate_ brought us together.'

'He's lying, Marty,' Clara laughed, staring affectionately at Doctor Brown. 'I came up with that _first_.'

The couple exchanged loving glances and Marty frowned, suddenly curious. 'So, are you two married now, or...'

'Yes,' the Doc declared, pulling off a black glove and showing the golden band. 'We got married back in 1885, though, no doubt, we would need to marry again so we're able to be _officially_ married in 1985 - no, '86.'

'Emmett is very thoughtful,' Clara told Marty, 'I hope you didn't miss him too much.'

'Nah,' Marty said, looking at the Doc. He wanted to say, 'yeah, I did actually' but he had gotten over his bought of depression and managed to focus on other things... like being a slacker, as Strickland put it... though more importantly, a parent. But Doc knew Marty missed him, and Mary knew Doc had missed him. Marty decided to play it safe and he smiled gingerly, knowing the Doc would get it, 'not at all.'

'Ah, well, I just wanted to let you know we're back in Hill Valley. I've spoken to the police and they... can't seem to remember who I am.'

Doc gave him a tip of the eyebrow and Marty grinned. It was likely the Doc had made them forget him through some new invention. 'We bought a farm. It's nice there, you're welcome to visit.'

'Yeah, of course, just give us the address,' the teenage boy nodded. 'Actually, Doc, I've got all your old stuff in a flat, I'll give you the address and key so you can go pick it up.'

Marty looked at Jennifer blankly and she shook her head. Marty ran inside to get a paper and pen and wrote it down, handing the note to Doc and giving the key to Clara. 'I've also got Einstein, so, you can fetch him from my place.'

'Thank you, Marty, I really appreciate that you've taken on so much responsibility,' at this, Doc looked at the baby in Jennifer's arms. 'It's very mature of you,' he paused and put the note in his pants pocket. 'Now, as for all that stuff of mine...' he turned to Clara, 'I think it would fit in the train, if we went at night time, I think we'd be able to get away with it, don't you?'

'Certainly,' Clara agreed. 'But only at nighttime, otherwise we'd be sure to get caught.'

'Train?' Marty rebounded.

'It's a new time machine I made,' Doc explained. 'I figured it would be easier to bring large quantities of things - and people - through time with a train.'

'I'd like to see that sometime.'

'You will,' the Doc assured, flattening his white hair on his head with a hand. 'Now, if you'll excuse us, Marty, we'd best be off. Now, just, what's the name of your uh... girl? Boy?'

'It's Marlene,' Marty nodded and added, 'a girl.' Doc gave him a 'I-can-see-that look. Doc and Clara went into the DeLorean and the couples exchanged goodbyes and see you soons before the DeLorean zoomed down the street with a wild bout of honking. Marty laughed and turned to Jennifer, resting an arm on her hip briefly before saying, 'You know, seeing the Doc married really boosted my confidence.' He held Jennifer's free hand and bent one knee to the ground, the sun blaring on the footpath, their shadows becoming accentuated. Marty pulled a tiny box out of his denim jacket and held it out towards Jennifer whose eyes went blank, then surprised then shell-shocked - but pleased and amazed all the same. 'Jen - Jennifer...' Marty said. 'Will you marry me?'

Jennifer's eyes filled with happy tears as she breathed, 'Yes,' and Marty slid the diamond ring onto her finger. They stood and Marty wrapped his arm holding the box around her waist, pulling Jennifer into his chest. They kissed long and fully, Marlene a silent witness. The couple suddenly realized as they pulled apart, smiling and grinning, the sun shining behind them into a glorious sunset... that everything was perfect.

*

**THE END**


End file.
